Hi!
I've been looking forward for this chapter, which, I think, is why I got it done so soon.
It's definitely now a promise that I'll start publishing in this tempo. I write when I got time and when I got inspiration.
I might get some flack for the direction, but this is something I wanted to do since I realized I wanted to write this fanfic.
So, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did writing it.
Monster King: Thank ye, thank ye. And dinnae fash, for I have no plans of stopping.
LAzHellRaiser: You're welcome! Happy you like it!
Levibr: So happy people agree! And also happy that I got to surprise you. I wonder what you think about this chapter. And also, thank you so much for your ideas for airbending! I appreciate it.
Jose19: He can't.
agnar: Once more, happy folks agree. It shouldn't be okay. Also wondering what you think of this chapter. Please don't hate me.
.upg: Well, here you go. Now you have no choice but to wait though.
MisterMisplay: So happy you got that! Yay!
malinkody: Right?!
dtonebu: He he... yeah...
Owen Keating: I agree! It never sat right with me! "Oh here is a hermit crab, life is good and you're forgiven". Like seriously...
Everybody ready? One and a two
And I would write 500 words
And I would write 500 more
Just to be the one who finish one more chapter
for you all to read
Da Da Dadaaa!
Chapter 18
Water, water, water and nothing but water.
It's been two days since they've seen any sight of land, or anything at all, maybe a bit ice but nothing noticeable.
They had been careful about the food, since they weren't sure how long it would take to fly to the Northern Watertribe, but when they ate, Aang and Katara had waterbended a platform they cut sit on, on the ocean, also so Appa could get some rest, but they were all getting tired.
They tried to keep the mood up but this being the third day at sea, everyone was tired of looking at it.
They had fished a bit, using waterbending to pull the blood and water out of it and airbending to dry it. They mainly did this to keep Sokka satisfied, since a hungry Sokka was a cranky, irritable and, if it was possible, even more sarcastic Sokka.
Katara, Aang and Hari had practiced bending. Sometimes Appa would fly low, or take a break on bended ice and then Aang and Katara practiced waterbending, while Sokka fished and Hari meditated, communicating and practicing internally with Mul.
Hari had been working on compressing air, but he couldn't do it fast enough yet to be effective. His idea was that if he compressed a bubble of air fast enough and thigh enough, it would expand even faster, creating a small air bomb, at least in theory.
Once more Appa was flying low, over the vast blue, nearly sleeping at the dullness of it, blinking when his paw hit a wave.
He let out a happy grumble as a hand scratched his head.
"I know, buddy, I know." Hari said, sitting on Appa's neck, looking out towards the horisont while the others were taking a midday nap, not having anything else to do.
Hari's ear twitched at a sloshing sound, as if something were moving through the water at high speed.
"Wake up!" He shouted, making the others jostle in surprise.
"Wu-what?" Sokka said, saliva running down the side of his mouth.
"Something is-"
Hari didn't get any farther as the water in front of him suddenly rose and solidified into ice spikes.
"Hold on!" Hari shouted as Appa swerved sharply, attempting to avoid the spikes and nearly throwing his passengers out of his saddle. Hari tapped Appa three times on the neck in quick succession and drew a line towards himself in Appa's fur.
Appa, understanding his meaning, shot straight up in the air. narrowingly avoiding as more ice spike manifests right in front and below him.
Safe in the altitude, they all looked down towards the sea and saw boats appear, each carrying several people looking up at them.
After closer inspection they looked to be wearing the same clothes as Katara and Sokka.
Katara clapped her hands together.
"They're waterbenders!" She said happily. "We found the Water Tribe!"
"More like they found us." Hari said as he poked Sokka in the ribs, making him snort.
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Appa was enjoying the swim. After all that flying it felt nice to take it slow, swimming in the refreshing water, guided by the boats.
Aang suddenly stands up and points ahead.
"There it is!"
"The Northern Water Tribe." Katara said in awe.
"We're finally here." Sokka said .
"Wow." Hari, and wow it was.
"Welcome to Agna Qel'a." One of the soldiers told them.
In front of them was a huge and multi-tiered city, built out of and into the giant ice cliff that loomed over the city. The entrance to the city itself was only possible from the sea, since behind the city was nothing but a seemingly endless frozen tundra. The gate to the city was a giant wall made of ice, with seemingly no way to enter, but as they got close, the guards on the wall used waterbending to lower a segment of the wall to create a passage.
As they entered the city they once again were struck by not only the beauty but also the intricacy of the interconnecting waterways and canals where boats, steered by waterbenders, traveled between the buildings and under the bridges where people stopped to look at them. Aang, ever friendly, waved up when it happened.
Using water-locking chambers and waterbending, boats were raised to get to upper platforms.
As they continued their escorted journey through the city, Sokka noticed a beautiful, white-haired girl sitting in a boat, sailing down one of the canals and he found that he couldn't look away. When her boat slowly got out of sight he jumped onto Appa's tail to get a last look.
"This place is beautiful." Katara awed.
"Yeah… she is…" Sokka sighed.
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As at most times, it caused quite the stir when the Avatar showed up, and this time was no different. Being led to beautiful rooms overlooking the city, fed and invited to an evening banquet, partially in their, read Aang's, honor.
The journey hadn't been too bad but it still hadn't been relaxing, so the team basically crashed till someone knocked on the door to their room to remind them that the banquet was soon and they should start getting ready.
Arriving at the banquet was no issue as they were escorted, not just to the place but to their places at the head long table up on a small platform. They were placed to the right of the chief of the Northern Watertribe, Arnook.
Aang was in the seat of honor, Momo sitting on his shoulder, and next to him was Katara, then Sokka and at the end, Hari.
Katara had wanted to discuss that Hari should sit next to Aang, but Hari, gesturing with a simple hand on her shoulder and a small shake of his head, made her halt and accept it. He was okay with it since Appa was placed a bit further to his right, next to the platform.
The place was packed, the atmosphere was good and food was abundant. The place was beautiful, patterns carved into the icy walls, fountains scattered about and a waterfall filled the far wall.
Chief Arnook stood up and everyone quieted down.
"Tonight," He said, "we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe." He gestured to Katara and Sokka, "And they have brought with them, someone very special, someone whom many of us believed disappeared from the world until now," He paused for dramatic effect, "the Avatar!"
A loud applause and cheer went through the crowd.
"We also celebrate my daughter's sixteenth birthday." Arnook said, making everyone quiet once more, "Princess Yue is now of marrying age!"
More cheer from the gathering as the white-haired girl that Sokka had seen earlier stepped forward to greet everyone.
"Thank you, Father." She said as he bowed, "May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us during these troubled times!" She finished as he raised her arms, earning another cheer.
"Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!" Arnook said as he sat down.
An bald elderly man with a long white mustache, which they guessed was Master Pakku, who stood with a student on either side of him on a stage. They started going through different synchronized movements, bending large amounts of water from the waterfall behind stage going from simple to very elaborate bending patterns and forms captivating their audience, well most of them since Sokka was more preoccupied with two things; the food and the princess who walked behind him to a spot at the end of the table, sitting down next to Hari.
Sokka, leaning forward over the table to get a better look at her, caught her attention. He quickly swallowed the food he just stuffed in his mouth.
"Hi there. Sokka, Southern Water Tribe." Sokka said with a self-important air.
Yue, smiled and bowed slightly.
"Very nice to meet you." Yue said back, "I'm sorry but I don't think my father mentioned you in his introduction." She said as she looked at Hari.
"Hello, I'm Hari. I'm their traveling companion." Hari said, giving her a short polite bow, smiling at her when he came back up.
"Very nice to meet you as well, Hari."
"So… uh… you're a princess, huh?" Sokka said as he stumbled over his world, still bending over the table to talk with Yue, who smiled and gave him a small nod. "You know," He said, "back in my tribe, I'm kind of like a prince, myself."
"Ha!" Came from Katara, "prince of what?"
"A lot of things!" Sokka said, his cheeks reddening, "Do you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation here."
"My apologies, Prince Sokka." Katara said sarcastically.
While the siblings were focused on each other, Yues attention had turned to Hari.
"Traveling companion?"
"Yep!" He said, popping the 'p'. "I think that's the best description of who I am, without saying too much. Gotta keep that mysterious atmosphere going." He winked at her, earning a giggle from the princess who covered her mouth.
"But the truth is that they kinda broke into my home, nearly blew my room off a mountain, chased me and finally invited me to join them after I bribed them with my cooking, even though the princeling here" Hari pointed a thumb over his shoulder, "accused me of lying and poisoning, even though he had eaten everything I offered him."
This got him another giggle that seemed to send a comfortable feeling down his spine, while an embarrassed Sokka stuffed his mouth and focused on his food.
"There has to be a more fulfilling story there?" She said, looking up at him with big blue eyes, as if she would like nothing better than to hear his tale of how he met the others.
"Well, it's a bit of a story, but I was living in the Southern Air Temple. I was returning from scouting the surrounding mountains when Momo, the lemur on Aangs shoulder, told me something happened, so I went to investigate…"
Hari continued to tell his story, leaving out his own ability to airbend, while the princess listened attentively.
While Katara enjoyed her brother's embarrassment she didn't like the way the princess looked at Hari. It was probably nothing, she thought, just interest in new people and a curiosity of the world outside of Agna Qel'a, so she decided to focus on the talk between Chief Arnook and Aang. She heard the princess laugh at something Hari said but she tuned it out and took a bite of her food. Hari's was good, but there was something about eating something familiar and who knew how long they were staying, so she dug in with gusto.
Yue tried not to laugh out loud. She couldn't remember the last time she wanted to laugh so much. After telling about meeting the other three, Hari had also asked about her, but at her own apparent and obvious hesitation with answering his question he had simply continued his story, past the meeting and what adventures he had to tell! It had been thrilling, exciting, scary and best of all funny. He had an honesty and maturity about him and the way he told his story. He didn't make himself bigger than he was, like some people would do… Oh, she could keep listening to his stories.
She had a feeling that there was something he wasn't saying, but she understood. There were things she didn't want to say.
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Hari knew that look she gave him after he asked about her life. He had seen it many times when he had looked at a mirror back at Hogwarts.
Behind her blue eyes was hidden the sadness of not having a real choice in your own life and thought that at least he could make her smile with more stories. Her smile and laughter was contagious and he felt like he had seen glimpses of her honest self underneath. Someone curious, honest and sweet.
"Beautiful…" came a quiet hiss from within, making him realize that neither he nor Yue had said anything for a while and were just looking at each other, making Mul hissing out a chuckle that only he could hear.
It seemed like she realized the same as they both looked away and light dusting of red coloring their cheeks.
Yue made a cute cough into her sleeve as she looked down at the table.
"You're a great storyteller." She said, not looking up at him.
"Thank you." Hari answered, rubbing his neck and looking out over the banquet. He gathered a bit of courage and turned his head towards her.
"If you're interested, I have many more, even some you might not even believe."
This made Yue turn her head towards him. There was a depth in his words, a feeling that he might be willing to give the puzzle pieces she felt were missing from his stories. She wanted to know. No, she needed to know. She hadn't wanted something for herself for so long, just following what she was supposed to do. Oh, if they already could meet-
"Tomorrow!" She blurted out, quickly covering her mouth. He smiled at her and she felt all warm and fuzzy inside.
"Yes, Princess?" Oh, the way he said it. He made it feel like less of a title and more like he teased her. It didn't feel like it was done in a mean way either. She got the feeling that he understood the weight that a title carried and knew her frustration with it, and then decided to make light of it, that he… he knew she was someone underneath.
"Can we meet tomorrow? I'd love to hear more of your stories." She said as she looked at him.
Hari looked back into those beautiful blue eyes and felt that pleasant feeling again.
"You just tell me where, princess."
She nearly sighed, but managed to hold it back in favor of agreeing on where to meet.
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While Hari and Yue were talking, Arnook nodded to Aang that it was time and stood up. Aang nodded back at him and stood as well. He turned to Katara who smiled at him. Aang was going to be introduced to his, maybe their, new waterbending master. They had agreed that Aang would ask about the possibility for her to be trained as well.
They walked towards the stage where they were met by Master Pakku.
"Master Pakku," Arnook said, "meet your newest student, the Avatar."
Pakku looked down his nose at Aang who bowed in greeting.
"Just because you're destined to save the world, don't expect any special treatment." He said in a strict voice.
"My friend and I can't wait to start training with you!" Aang said in a chipper voice, "After we relax for a couple of days."
This earned a scoff from the older man.
"If you want to relax, then I suggest visiting a tropical island." He said in a degrading tone, "If not, I'll see you both at sunrise. Good night." Then he turned on his heels and left.
As the banquet came to a close, our friends returned to their room.
They were once again exhausted, even with the rest earlier and were all ready to sleep.
As they prepared for the night, Aang turned to Katara.
"Oh, Katara! Master Pakku said that he'll train us both!"
"Yes!" Katara said as she threw her fist in the air. "It's gonna be great!"
Her and Aang high-fived.
"I don't know…"
They both turned to Hari who sat by the window, overlooking the city.
"What do you mean?" Katara asked.
He sat in silence for a second before he turned towards them.
"Well, it's just a feeling, but…" He took another second. "Did you notice any guards that were women, or any waterbenders at all that were women?"
Aang and Katara both got thoughtful looks and Aang even rubbed his chin before looking at each other and back to Hari.
"I… haven't actually…" Katara said.
"Me neither." Aang followed up.
"And that's just it. Even the princess, on her birthday, sat further down the table than us, the guests. Okay, Aang is the Avatar, but otherwise, there's something strange about it. I think you have to be ready that Master Pupu might not want to teach a girl and also for a dose of 'women-should-know-their-place'-style of views."
Katara tensed immediately. She knew that there was a bit of it at the South Pole, but it was manageable, Gran Gran made sure of that. Even the Fire Nation had women as soldiers! She got a bad taste in her mouth thinking that the Fire Nation actually did something better than the Watertribe. She didn't want to believe it, but Hari was right. It was better to be prepared, but she really wanted to learn. Oh, what to do.
"But if Katara is not allowed to be taught, then Aang can teach her what he learned, right?" Sokka said.
"That's brilliant Sokka! Why didn't I think of that?" Katara exclaimed, "At night, you can teach me whatever moves you learn from Master Pakku! That way, you have someone to practice with, and I get to learn waterbending! Everyone's happy!"
"Meh…" Came from Sokka.
"Oh shush Sokka, you're never happy unless food is involved." She quipped, making the others laugh as Sokka stuck his tongue at her goodnaturedly.
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The next morning bright and early, Aang and Katara were walking towards the training grounds.
"I've waited for this day my whole life. I finally might get to learn from a real waterbending master!" Katara was nearly skipping.
"I know, but remember what Hari said." Aang told her, cutting the top of her excitement.
"Right, but he might be wrong?" She said, not really believing that Hari might be wrong and the look that Aang gave her said as much.
As they entered the training ground they saw Master Pakku bending a stream of water in a complicated pattern.
"Good morning, Master Pakku!" Aang shouted, breaking Pakku's concentration and making him drop the water.
"No, please, march right in. I'm not concentrating or anything." He said sarcastically.
"Uh… Sorry?" Aang said as he gestured to Katara. "This is my friend, Katara. The one I told you about?"
Pakku looked Katara up and down with an annoyed look.
"I'm sorry, I think there's been a misunderstanding. You didn't tell me your friend was a girl."
This had the immediate effect of Katara's shoulder slumping down and her face marred in a look of pure disappointment, but she wanted to try anyway.
"But there must be other female waterbenders in your tribe?" She asked him.
"In our tribe, it is forbidden for women to learn proper waterbending." He said, "Here, the women learn from Yagoda to use their waterbending to heal. I'm sure she would be happy to take you as her student."
Katara buried her frustration and anger under the satisfaction she would feel when Aang would teach her in the evening.
"Well, I tried. Enjoy your training Aang." She said with a wink. "I might as well check out what the healing is about." She turned and walked from the grounds, shaking the tension she felt in her hands from clenching her fits too hard.
"Good, then why don't we get started." Pakku said.
Aang barely had time to turn when he felt something coming towards him and avoided a blast of water at the last moment.
"Adequate reflexes." Pakku said as he waterbended two big spheres of water, "Now get ready."
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At a small bridge in the higher parts of the city, two young people were sitting. One was deeply engaged in listening to the stories that the other told.
"But we hadn't walked very far before Aang shouted 'Walking stinks!'" Hari said making a pretty good impression of Aang by covering his hair with his hands, giving him a bald look and pushing his ears a bit forward.
Yue did something that she never thought she would ever do. She snorted. Loudly. This in turn made Hari laugh. Yue, in retaliation, pushed him so he nearly fell into the water below. He yelped as he regained his balance and gave her a mean stare that lost its meaning because of his smile. They both laughed and then sighed as one.
"I don't remember the last time I had so much fun." Yue said, looking out over the city.
"I'm happy to be of service, Princess." Hari said.
"How do you do that?" She asked.
"What?" Hari tilted his head to the side as he looked at her.
"How do you call me princess in that way? Normally I feel like a, a…"
"Item on a pedestal."
"Yes!" She said, "Yes, that's what I mean! It feels like you know. How?" She asked him.
Hari rubbed his neck, not really sure if he should tell her. He had taken a chance with telling the Aang Gang, but he was starved from human connection at the time and hey, it was a good ice-breaker.
He felt a hand on his knee and looked down to find Yue's slim hand resting lightly. He moved his gaze up her arm to her face, nearly getting lost in those deep light blue eyes staring back at him.
"Please?" She asked him and he knew that whatever choice he might have was gone. He wanted to tell her, wanted her to know. He sighed and without really thinking about it, his hand found itself on top of hers.
"I don't even know if you'll believe me." He breathed out, more to himself than her.
He felt her hand on his knee turn and hold his.
"Try me." She said with a smile.
He closed his eyes and turned his head outwards. He slowly opened them and looked out over the city.
"How to start?" He said and he tightened his grip on her hand, feeling her do the same. "Have you ever heard about the Wanderers?"
"The two that the Air Nomads told were from another world?" Yue asked, making Hari turn his head so fast a pop was head, making Yue giggle.
"Hari, I have spend most my time learning proper etiquette, how to speak, act and the history of my people, as a proper princess should do." The light in her eyes dimmed a bit at this, making Hari give her hand a little squeeze. "But luckily the archives of Agna Qel'a is quite extensive and many stories and tales are there if you know where to look. Where do you think my love for stories comes from?" She said, tilting her head just a bit, looking at him with a way too innocent expression.
"Beautiful and smart." Hari said without thinking, making them both turn away with a blush.
"So, the Wanderes?" She asked him, still not looking at him.
"Right!" He coughed and looked into the sky. Hari was still debating, even though he knew he was going to tell her, but something held him back. It didn't take him long to realize that it was the fear of rejections that made him hold back, but Yue had show nothing but honesty and trust in him.
Suddenly he remembered something that Hagrid once told him when the truth about Hagrids heritage came out.
"I am what I am, an' I'm not ashamed. 'Never be ashamed,' my ol' dad used ter say, 'there's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth botherin' with.'"
During his inner turmoil, Yue had sat patiently and waited. She would give him the time he needed and if he decided that he didn't want to tell her, she would respect it and just as she was starting to think that he decided against telling her, he started.
"A title is a heavy thing, and often something that, if placed on you, takes your choices away, since a title in itself carries expectations from everyone around you. I had a title once… 'The Boy Who Lived'..."
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Sometimes people just meet.
At first it might not seem like anything, but in just a few moments you might find yourself a kindred spirit, and you might come to realize that there's someone who understands you in a way you've given up on thinking will happen, someone who let you feel safe to open up to and be who you are.
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Hari returned to their appointed room in a good mood.
He felt a bit bad about it; he had doubet that she would believe him but to his joy and relief, she had. He had told her a very compact version of his life up until he woke up at the Southern Air Temple.
Not only had she believed but she wanted to know more, wanted to get to know him better and he would be lying to himself, and Mul, if he said that he didn't want to get to know her as well, and she graced his wish. She told him about when she was born, how she was very sick and very weak, born as if she was asleep and how their healers did everything they could but told her parents that she was going to die. Her father had asked the spirits for help and had, during the full moon brought her to their spirit oasis and placed her in the water. Her dark hair turned white as she woke up and cried and they knew she would live. Her mother named her Yue, named after the moon.
He blushed a bit at the memory. They had unconciously held hands most of the time. He could still feel the sensation of her hand in his.
As he walked through the door he was greeted by Sokka, standing with his arms crossed.
"Where've you been? You just dissapeared shortly after Aang and Katara left." Sokka said, giving him a strict look.
"Oh, you know, out and about, meeting the locals." Hari said as he tried to shrug nonchalantly.
"Oh," Sokka squinted at him, "like beautiful, white-haired locals?"
Que cicadas…
"What do you want Sokka?" Hari asked him.
Sokka sighed as he sat down on the floor, Hari joining him. Sokka seemed to be contemplating something, looking at Hari, at the door, the window, back at Hari, scrunching up his face and scatching his hair until he let out a long suffering breath.
When he finally looked at Hari again, it was obvious that he had made a choice.
"Everyone deserves happiness Hari. Don't waste your chance and go for it."
Hari blinked once, twice, trice before he blinked once more.
"What?" Sokka asked, "I know that I think she's probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen but I don't know her. Yes, yes, yes. I'm jealous that spend time with her, but I got my own beautiful warrior princess." He finished with a exaggerated wink.
Hari let out a breath that he didn't know that he had held.
"You know, Sokka. By the way you started this talk, I was wondering if we had had to have a… disagreement." Hari said looking at Sokka with a relieved smile.
This made Sokka laugh.
"Disagreement? Dude, I even lose fights with you in my head!"
Hari stood up, grabbed Sokka's hand, pulled him up and into a hug and they patted each other on the back twice.
"Thanks Sokka." Hari said.
"So Sokka, what have you been doing?" Hari asked.
"Well, I went to the training grounds and trained with some of the soldiers there who are non-benders and I gotta tell ya… they're overconfident." Sokka shook his head and sat down again.
Hari looked at him questioningly and got a sigh and a head shake in return as he sat down.
"I mean like, they're okay, but from what we have seen and encountered, Jet's freedom fighters had a reason to be confident."
"Ouch." Hari said and got a pained smile in return.
"Yeah, there was this one guy who seemed like a… what do you call it? An uptight ponce. I think his name was Hahn? He thought that he was better than everybody else. When I told them that they were unprepared he called me a, a, 'a simple rube from the Southern Tribe'."
"Did you take him down a peg?" Hari asked.
"Nah, didn't get the chance. They didn't do any practice matches. Just going through drills." Sokka answered. "But seriously, you should've seen this guy. He kept talking about all the girls he's dated, while flipping his hair! Had to leave or I might have socked him one."
"Really? An original Sokka Socking?"
"Yeah, and his chin is so wide that it looks like a komodo rhino rammed it!"
They both laughed for a moment.
"But seriously, he seems like a ponce alright." Hari said, making Sokka nod.
"Definitly, but the worst was the way he talked about his 'newest conquest' comes with 'the most perks'. Seriously, poor girl that ends up with him." Sokka said as he shook his head.
Hari slapped his as he stood up again.
"Well, enough about idiots, what do you say to training a bit. The roof here has plenty of space and we can get a bit energy out."
Sokka stood and gave Hari a smirk.
"Or is someone looking to spend time before his next date?" Sokka said giving Hari a knowing side eye.
Hari chuckled as he elbowed Sokka in the side.
"I often forget how smart you actually can be." Hari said as he walked out the door.
Sokka nodded sagely, until he put together what Hari actually said.
"Hey!" He shouted as he followed Hari out.
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As Aang was getting frustrated with Master Pakku's training and Katara was learning something new about her family history, Sokka and Hari were going seperate ways after practicing.
Sokka wanted to go to weapons training with the troupes, since it would probably be long time before he would get the chance to learn how to use their traditional weapons.
Hari was nearly, literally nearly floating while waiting for her at their, did he really already call it their?, bridge.
It didn't take long before the sound of her steps made him turn as she walked up on the bridge. He smiled and walked to meet her in the middle, but his smile faded as he got closer.
"Princess? Yue? What happened?" Hari asked her.
"I… I…" She looked up at him and he could see tears forming in her eyes.
He reached over and took her hand, and she stepped into his arms and they held each other. She looked up and he caressed her cheek. Her eyes fluttered close as she leaned towards him and he did the same, but just before their lips touched she pulled back.
Hari opened his eyes and looked at her. Tears were falling from her eyes as she stepped out of his arms till only their hands touched.
"Yue?" Hari asked.
"I'm sorry, Hari, I'm so sorry. I made a mistake. I shouldn't have asked you to come again." She then turned and ran, her hand slipping out of his as he stood rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do. His hand slowly closed as he brought it to his chest.
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When Hari finally returned to the room, Sokka and Katara was in deep discussion about what Katara had learned about their dear Gran Gran.
Hari entered the door and Sokka turned his head towards him.
"Hey Hari! How did the date go?"
Katara's eyes windened at this as her head went back and forth between them like she was watching a fast paced match of Airball.
"D-d-date?" She asked.
Sokka turned to her with a smirk.
"Oh yeah! Hari here has been meeting with non other than the princess herself."
Hari sat down hard on the floor making his friends jump a bit by the rough movement.
"Yeah, but… I don't know… I really think she likes me but… there's something…" Hari ran his hands through his hair, messing it up as it came loose from his ponytail.
"Something?" Katara finally got out.
Hari looked up at the ceiling.
"Yeah, like she's fighting with something internally, against herself."
"But… do you like her?" Katara asked, griping on to her necklace like it was a lifeline.
"It should be too soon to say, since we basically just met… But there's something about her… Yeah, I li-"
Luckily for Katara he didn't get farther as the door bust open with a frustrated Aang entering.
"I don't like that guy!" He complained.
The other three were quickly by his side, since it wasn't that often that Aang really didn't like someone.
As they asked him why he told about the waterbending master's teaching methods.
"And then he said 'You're moving the water around, but you're not feeling the push and pull', but I was seriously trying and then he was all like," Aang imitated eating soup as parodied Pakku's voice, "'Maybe that move is too advanced for you. Why don't you try an easier one?', like I should know everything already!" Aang complained.
Hari couldn't help but get some seriously snapy vibes from the story.
"But now I got time to practice! Are you ready Katara?" Aang asked, a smile blooming on his face.
This seemed to get Katara out of her funk as her want for learning waterbending overpowered any other thought.
"Let's go!" She said excitedly as she grabbed Aang by the arm and dragged him outside, Sokka and Hari looking at each other with the same expression.
"I'll never understand girls." Sokka said.
"Amen, brother." Hari answered as grabbed some dried meat.
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Outside, at the foot of one of the bridges there was a pathway right by the water where Aang and Katara stood right by the edge.
Aang then waterbends a stream of water and makes it move in a simple pattern around him.
"Master Pakku said this move is all about sinking and floating." Aang said as he bends the water to her.
Katara takes over the bending of the water, slowly making the same pattern.
"I got it!" She exclaimed before the water started to spin in a very complicated pattern around her in high speed before suddenly shooting upward.
"That was amazing!" Aang exclaimed, his arms in the air.
Katara looked at her hands before looking at Aang.
"That wasn't me." She said as they both looked up seeing Pakku standing on the brigde looking down at them, a ball of water in front of him. He spread his arms and splayed his fingers downwards as the water spead and became spikes of ice, imbedding itself into the railing.
"Hi Master Pakku! I was just showing Katara a few moves." Aang said in what he deemed was an innocent voice.
"You have disrespected me, my teachings, and my entire culture." Pakku said in a firce voice.
"I'm sorry, I-" Aang started but he was cut off by Pakku.
"You are no longer welcome as my student." Pakku said as he turned and left.
When the two returned and told what had happened, they discussed what they might be able to do. They came up with different solutions, like Aang finding another master, but who would want to teach him if Pakku had sent him away. Other ideas came as well but none of them seemed good.
"Well," Hari said, "I guess there's only one thing to do."
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The next morning, saw Katara in front of the elders of the Northern Watertribe, as well as Master Pakku.
They were sitting on a two tier podium where on the lower, front one sat Princess Yue, Chief Arnook and Pakku.
"What do you want me to do? Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?" Arnook asked Katara.
"Yes, please!" Katara said.
"I suspect he might change his mind, if you swallow your pride and apologize to him." Arnook said.
Katara turned to look at Aang before turning back to the podium.
"Fine." She relinquished.
Pakku smirked at this.
"I'm waiting, little girl."
"Oh bollocks." Hari whispered.
"No!" Katara said fiercely as the icy floor began to crack "No way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you!" She shouted as two ice pots filled with water shattered.
"Uh, Katara?" Aang tried.
"I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me." Katara said as she turned and walked outside.
"I'm sure she didn't mean that." Aang said, trying to placate the situation.
Sokka and Hari looked at each other.
"Yeah, she did." They said as one.
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Outside Katara was taking off her coat.
"You sure you want to do this, Katara? I don't think he's called a master for no reason!" Sokka tol her.
"I know! I don't care!" Katara said without looking at him.
"You don't have to do this for me. I can find another teacher." Aang tried.
"I'm not doing it for you! Someone needs to slap some sense into that guy!" Katara looked angrily at Hari as if he was going to tell her off as well.
"Kick his ass."
She blinked at this as Hari gave her a smirk, making her feel the warmth she had gotten used to from him.
She heard someone walking out of the reception room. It was Pakku.
"So, you decided to show up?" She said mockingly but Pakku walked right past her. "Aren't you going to fight?"
Pakku didn't even look at her.
"Go back to the healing huts with the other women where you belong." Pakku said and kept walking when a water whip hit the back of his head, making him stop.
"Fine." He said as he slowly turned. "You want to learn to fight so bad? Study closely!"
Pakku then bended two streams of water from nearby pools, blending them into one big torrent, sending it at a charging Katara, who gets blown back.
He then used the water to encircling them both in a tall wall of water, making it smaller, forcing Katara closer to him.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you!" Pakku said with a smirk, but it disappeared quickly by Katara's follow-up.
"I am."
Katara quickly reached forward and pointed to fingers upwards as Pakku jumped back from the icicle aiming for his chin, breaking his concentration as Katara took control over the water and send it towards him.
Pakku quickly lifted both arms, freezing the water into a frozen wave, protecting him like a wall, which Katara ran and glided over, jumping at the apex into a somersault, landing behind him.
Pakku, having seen what she was doing, send a torrent of water at her.
Katara gathered water around her feet and froze it as he threw her hands together, splitting the water and gathering it into balls, one in each hand.
"You can't knock me down!" She said as she froze the balls and threw them at Pakku.
The fight had gathered an audience, where many of the girls began to cheer.
"Go, Katara!" Aang shouted.
Katara charged Pakku as he drew up a wall of ice, which she quickly liquefied. She then switched to hand to hand, pushing the master backwards for the first time. In an attempt to make space, Pakku pulled water from the ground throws Katara into a pool, smirking like he won.
Katara emerged from pool, shaking her hair. She then bended a small pillar of ice, where she then sent a series of thin ice discs at Pakku. Pakku, staying stationary started parrying the discs, breaking up most of them, but not being able to keep up he, moved out of the way of one, cutting the tip of his beard.
As he looked up he immediately jumped back as Katara, now back on the ground, send a stream of water at him. Pakku, however, bended it into a larger stream of water and send it back at her, hitting her and sending back several feet. Breathing hard, she shook her head, regaining focus. She then jumped to her feet and pulled down two snow pillars at him the crash turning into a dusty mist of snow.
In the silence Pakku walked out of the mist.
"Well, I'm impressed." Pakku said. "You are an excellent waterbender."
"But you still won't teach me, will you?" Katara spit back.
"No."
Katara hit her fists into the ground, sending a wave of ice at Pakku, who raises himself onto an ice pillar. He then bended the bottom of the pillar into water and rode it like a board, charging straight at Katara, who sends a powerful wave his way. Pakku froze Katara's water, running and sliding across, planning to go past her and striking her down, but as his arm reached out it was grabbed by Katara who throws him into the pool she herself landed in earlier.
Pakku, twisting in the air, landed on his feet, but still in the pool, feet and legs soaked. He then bended a tower of water and twisted it into a vortex above Katara. He then froze the water into several ice shards, which he intent to send down at Katara.
Katara looked up, not knowing what to do when she head Hari's voice.
"Currents!"
As Paku splayed his fingers downwards, Katara closed her eyes and felt. Then, moving not unlike an airbender, she twisted and turned out of the way of every single shard.
Opening her eyes, she saw a shocked Pakku.
Pakku began sending move projectiles at her, which she deftly moved around, sending some back at him. It was going well and she could see his frustration, when something caught her eye and made her lose concentration.
Hari and Yue.
They were standing next to each other, their hands secretly reaching out, nearly touching.
Water hit her, lifted her up and pulling her down onto the snowy ground, and then froze. Katara was stuck. Katara had lost.
Pakku slowly lowered his arms.
"This fight is over." As he walked across the yard.
""I'm not finished yet!" Katara growled at him.
"Yes, you are." He answered as he noticed something on the ground.
"This is my necklace…" He said as he picked up a round necklace from the snow.
Katara realizing what it was, started to struggle.
"No, it's not. It's mine! Give it back!" She shouted. It had come off during their fight.
Pakku turned it in his hands.
"I made this sixty years ago for the love of my life… for Kanna."
As Pakku's shoulders slumped the ice holding Katara melted, freeing her.
"Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?" Katara asked confused.
"I carved this necklace for your grandmother when we got engaged. I thought we would have a long, happy life together. I loved her." Pakku said, handing over the necklace to Katara.
"But she didn't love you, did she?" Katara said, holding the necklace close. "It was an arranged marriage. Gran-Gran wouldn't let your tribe's customs run her life. That's why she left." She closed her eyes. "It must have taken a lot of courage."
Yue suddenly started to cry as she turned and ran away.
Hari turned to follow, but stopped, not sure if it was the right thing to do.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Sokka smiling at him.
"Go get her."
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Standing at what Hari had dubbed 'their bridge' he found Yue.
"What do you want from me?" She didn't look at him, she just kept staring out over the city.
"Nothing. I just want you to know, I think you deserve to be living the life you want to live, to be happy." He told her as he slowly walked up to her.
She turned towards him, still not looking at him.
"You don't understand."
"I think I do understand now." He said, "You're betrothed, aren't you?"
Finally she looked up at him, her eyes wide and filled with tears.
"How did you-?"
"I just put the puzzle pieces together. You know, the history of this place, the culture, your status and your eyes."
He reached over and out his hand on her cheek.
"When you're telling about yourself, the things you love, you seem free, but at other times you look trapped, cornered, like you have no choice."
She leaned into his touch as she pulled down her anorak showing the betrothal necklace.
"It's true. I'm engaged. It's a political marriage. I don't have a choice." She cried.
Hari pulled her into a hug.
"You do, you do have a choice." He told her as he stroked her head.
"But what about my duty to my people? I have to marry Hahn" She asked him.
Hari tensed at the name, remembering what Sokka had told him about someone named Hahn, but put it aside for now.
"What about your duty to yourself and your happiness?" He asked her. "You know my story. I told you of my duty. It took coming here to realize my duty to myself. My life is my choice and I have a duty and responsibility for my own happiness first before I should think of others."
"But I don't know what to do? I'm not like Katara's grandmother. I don't know how to turn my back on my culture, my home, my family." She said, tears forming once more.
"Then let's see what we can do within the constraints of culture." He said with conviction. "But first, does this Hahn look like he got hit in the chin with a shovel?"
She looked up at him confused.
"Well, yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Oh, nothing, but have any betrothal ever been broken any way other than the woman fleeing, my little history-seeker?"
She nuzzled closer to him, finding comfort in the sound of his heartbeat.
"Yes. There is one way. It hasn't happened in nearly 70 years, but you can challenge the engagement through combat. It's an old law but only people of the tribe can challenge a betrothal."
"Real~ly?" Hari said, a plan forming in his mind.
"Yes, but you're not from the tribe so there's no way for us to be together, other than me fleeing and abandoning everyone and everything and I'm sorry Hari but I can't. I can't leave them."
Hari grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her at arms length.
"Yue, do you want to break the betrothal?"
"It's something I don't even allow myself to dream of, since the hope would hurt so much more when it would not be possible." She said with tears falling, looking at him as if she was pleading him for an answer.
"Then don't make a choice right now, don't even dream, but let your heart make a wish". He said with a soft smile.
She grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss.
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When Hari returned, his mind was putting together the details for his master plan he saw Katara waiting for him outside the house.
"What's going on with you and Yue?" Katara demanded.
"What?" Hari said, being brought back to the now by the harsh tone of her voice.
"Why her, Hari? Why her?" She said as she walked towards him.
"What do you mean?" Hari asked her.
"Oh, come on! You're neither that blind or stupid!" She said as she poked him hard in the chest.
"Seriously Katara, what is going on?" He asked.
She pushed him.
"Why not me? Through everything we have been through, the moments we've had! What about us, Hari? Why not me?!" She was yelling at this point, her cheeks red from anger, jealousy and frustration.
Hari was trying hard to understand what was going on while Katara pushed him again.
"What's wrong with me! Am I not pretty enough?! Am I not good enough?! What does Yue have that I don't?!" She wasn't looking at him anymore, just standing in front of him, fist clenched at her sides, her shoulders shaking.
It finally clicked for Hari, and with that, what Bato had meant with 'take good care of Katara'. Yes he had been blind, but mainly because he hadn't felt the same way.
He took a step towards her.
"There's nothing wrong with you Katara, you're smart, intelligent, beautiful and amazing, but I don't feel that way about you."
She didn't move as tears fell from her eyes and she started to cry.
He took another step with open arms, but she pushed him away, but he didn't budge and took another step. She started to hit him in the chest but with no strength until he finally hugged her. She started to cry out loud, shaking in his arms.
"I do love you Katara, but like a sister. You're one of the most precious people I know. Family is everything to me. I lost family before and I'll do everything in my power to never let it happen again. I'd tear down the world for my family, for you." His words were soft as he still held her close. She started to calm down, small hiccups coming from her.
"Katara," he said, making her look at him, "you'll always have me in your life but just as a brother and a friend, it's all I can give."
Katara nodded tearfully at this, taking short, unsteady breaths.
"I think it'll take a bit time, but I don't want to lose you." She said as she hugged him back.
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The next morning, Aang was practicing a new technique, bending a spherical ball of water around ending it with a mediocre finish.
"Not bad, not bad." Pakku laughed, "Keep practicing and maybe you'll get it by the time you're my age."
Aang turned around, his face in an annoyed expression, but it quickly turned all smiles when he notices Katara running towards them.
"Hey, Katara!" Aang said waving at her.
"What do you think you're doing?" Pakku said harshly making Katara stop and look up at him. "It's past sunrise. You're late." He took a bending stance, which Aang and Katara quickly copied.
"Good to see you here." Aang told her.
"You, too." She said with a small smile turning her focus towards their teacher.
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Far away, across the sea, Fire Nation Admiral Zhao stood at the railing of his command ship.
"My fleet is ready. Set a course for the Northern Water Tribe." He told his new general, The Dragon of the West, Iroh.
War was coming once more to the north.