A/N: A summary of Katara's thoughts in "The Water Bending Scroll."

Chapter 2: A Taste of Power

My adventures with Aang and Sokka were stressful and I was constantly keeping tabs on everyone to make sure I could handle the situations. After discovering that Aang needed to learn the four elements, I told Aang I would help him. How could he refuse? I was his only hope for water bending.

Then there were the pirates. When I stole their water bending scroll, I knew the consequences. I was surprised that Sokka was angry—didn't he understand that anyone has the right to happiness? It concerned my happiness to get that scroll, and even more importantly, it concerned Aang! Yet that exasperating brother of mine was still angry and stomped off as if I was wrong! While he was sulking, I taught Aang water bending.

"Like this, Aang," I told him. "Push and Pull the water." Manipulate it. Water bending was another thing that gave me a personal high.

Of course…there was the irritating little factor that Aang was better at water bending than I was. Oh, that was far beyond irritating. That was insanely unfair and I was so pissed off I can't even describe it!!!

When I realized that Aang was practically in tears because of my rage, I felt terrible. I allowed the situation to get out of hand—I made somebody unhappy, and that wasn't supposed to happen. I quickly apologized because even though I was right I needed to comfort the vulnerable child. When Sokka started preaching at me, I said, "No more apologies!" and went to bed in a temper.

Late in the night I stole the scroll back from Aang. True, I had promised that I would have no more to do with it, but I only said that to get the circumstances under control. Almost at once I began to lose my temper with the water whip, and it must have given away my position because the pirates found me.

These days I can think of Zuko as a friend, but back then, I hated him! He sent shivers down my spine when he caught my wrists in a vice-like grip, thrust his sharp face close to mine, and sarcastically hissed, "I'll save you from the pirates!"

The pirates took the scroll away from me. They were rough with me as they tied me to the tree. I loathed the hands that dared to take away the one thing I had left—control. When Zuko asked me where Aang was, and I shouted venomously, "GO JUMP IN THE RIVER!"

"Try to understand," said Zuko with surprising calmness. "I need the Avatar so I can regain something I've lost: my honor." He showed me my mother's necklace, something I had lost. For a moment, as he held the necklace inches from my neck, I was afraid he might strangle me. My anger was suddenly gone and replaced by terror as I realized that he was playing my own game. He was using this necklace to manipulate me.

"My mother's necklace!" I forced the words out. "Where did you get that?"

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're asking." Like the way you stole the scroll, his eyes seemed to tell me. I knew that was another tool of manipulation.

I swallowed hard and tried to resist him. "I'll never give you Aang!"

Zuko seemed to lose interest in me and talked the pirates into searching for Aang. He threatened them, saying if they did not find Aang he would burn their scroll. The pirates left and only Zuko was with me; his fat old Uncle and the soldiers were probably guarding the steamship. My stomach knotted with nervousness, and I subconsciously wished that Sokka were here. If not to help me, then at least to cheer me up with his nonsensical humor.

"You're a brave girl," said Zuko suddenly.

"And you're a cruel, evil, bad…thing!" I replied defensively.

He did not answer at first. His head, hardly princely with its blood-red scar, was now bowed. At last he broke the silence. "What makes you think I'm any different from you? You stole a water bending scroll because you wanted it, because you wanted something from it."

"It was for Aang."

"No it wasn't." He could see right through me. "You might say I stole you. I'll only let you free for a price: the thing I'm after, the Avatar! Are we so different now, you little wretch?"

I tried not to let his words get to me, but I knew they rung with truth. I had risked myself and my friends for my own peace of mind. Why did I always have to be this way? And yet how could I give it up? "This is the only way I know how to live," I told Zuko.

He nodded, understanding. "Me too."

The next day, the pirates returned with Aang and Sokka in their grasp. I felt guilty, but was hoping that this whole incident could be forgotten and not rubbed in my face. So I apologized in a serious voice without a touch of anger, and got just the reaction I wanted—Aang refused to blame me! Zuko's fat Uncle insisted that everything was my fault, but Aang didn't hold anything against me; didn't dwell on it at all.

Sweet kid.

Okay, the battle with the pirates. You might be wondering where I was when Sokka and Aang were fighting for their lives against ruthless pirates and selfish Fire Nation soldiers. Well when Momo untied me, I at once went down to the pirate ship and started trying to get it back into the river so I could sail away. As soon as they joined me, I started giving orders. I told Aang to help me and of course he did so, and the boat was ours! Water bending so that we didn't fall off the waterfall was great. We did it together with me giving the orders. Aang was still better at it than me, and I didn't know why. He seemed to feel the water moving through him; it was almost like the water had a mind of its own and Aang was just helping it a little with his forms. I, on the other hand, was directing the water as I saw fit, pushing and pulling. Wasn't my way better?

Anyway, we still ended up falling off the waterfall and Appa had to save us from our deaths. I tried not to think about the water bending scroll because I knew it had been lost, but suddenly Sokka produced it out of nowhere. The pirates had lost interest in the scroll completely and decided to give it up for Aang. Of course Zuko had no use for it, so he must have left it on the ground somewhere. Since nobody wanted it, Sokka didn't consider it stealing and kindly handed the scroll back to me.

But first—he insisted on being preachy again. "What did you learn?" he asked.

I sighed irritably. "Stealing is wrong," I said as Sokka handed me the scroll. But I added, "Except if it's from pirates!"

This did not make Sokka very happy because he had to see the "moral" side of things, but I ignored him. Aang just laughed at the whole conversation, not knowing how serious Sokka was about this sort of thing.

As we soared on the bison's back, I was aware of a new feeling inside me. It made me clench my fists with longing—the longing for more power. The frightening but wonderful feeling of self-satisfaction I got from my water bending. I was almost shaking with selfish excitement. I couldn't wait to learn more. At last, a taste of power…