I Need To Find Myself
*Yes, this is another long one, so brace yourselves, for things are about to get a bit intense*
Song Inspired: Pharcyde- Runnin
It's been several days since Suki and Katara have last seen any mainland, as they have been traveling by ship to their destination. Katara was resting herself on the ship's bridge, watching the waves as they collided with the ship's sides; she dressed herself stunningly for their arrival, wearing a skin tight blue, sleeveless kimono that reached her lower hips, tight midnight blue leggings underneath with similar colored flats. She also made sure to fix her hair as well to present herself to the Bei Fongs gracefully, wearing her long, dark brown locks down as the top half of her hair was tied in a bun similar to the bun she wore when she disguised herself as a Fire Nation civilian. Suki soon joined her, sitting next to her old friend as she held a glass of water.
Suki extended the arm with the cool glass, "Here, I thought you might be thirsty." said Suki.
Katara focus turned from the sultry waves to the glass Suki was offering her, "Thanks." said Katara.
Suki gave a giddy grin, "No problem." Said Suki as she rested her hand; focusing on the small strip of land that was slowly approaching them. She squinted her eyes to get a better look, and soon jumped from her seat, "Katara, we're almost there; check it out!" said Suki as she pointed directly to the distant land before them.
Katara took a quick sip of water that Suki lent her and placed it down next to her as she stood from her seat, trying to catch a glimpse of the small strip of land in front of them, "This doesn't look like Earth Kingdom land, aren't we supposed to pick up Toph first?" asked an apprehensive Katara to herself, squinting her eyes as they got closer to the strip of land.
Katara then changed her focus to Suki's clothing; seeing that she didn't even bother to dress herself appropriately for their meeting with the Bei Fongs, she then began to become suspicious over Suki's intentions, "Suki, how are we going to meet Toph again?" asked Katara as she raised her eyebrow at Suki; the wind gently blowing through her smooth hair.
Suki smiled, "Don't worry; Like I said, I planned all of this, including Toph meeting us in the Fire Nation." said Suki devilishly.
Katara immediately shot Suki an astonished gaze, "What! Wait a minute, you said we had to get Toph; we agreed convince her parents to have her come do 'humanitarian work', remember!" said a suspicious Katara as she folded her arms.
Suki giggled slyly as she placed her hands on her hips, "Well, I wanted to surprise you instead, but you seemed so worried about getting Toph and 'ruining her relationship with her parents and whatnot'" said Suki as she bent both her index and middle fingers together. "That I decided to go along with what you were proposing to do and surprise you when we were almost there, so now that we're here, SURPRIIIIISE!" yelled Suki as she spread her legs and arms wide in excitement, capturing the attention of a couple of spectators as they passed along by them, but as she released her squinted eyes to see Katara's reaction to the news, her face gleaming with joy soon turned terrified.
Katara's face was red in anger, "And you didn't plan on telling me this in Ba Sing Se?" asked annoyed Katara, fists balled to her sides. "And here I was, worrying about taking her with us and how we were somehow going to convince her parents to have her come along" continued Katara as she walked towards a frightened Suki, "When she was probably well on her way to the Fire Nation already!" said an extremely annoyed Katara as she was finally face to face with Suki, grabbing her by her collar.
Suki gave Katara a nervous smile, Katara still on her face as if trying to intimidate the former Kioshi Warrior, "Well, at least we don't have to worry about traveling all the way to find her." finished a happy Katara as she let go of her grip on Suki and pat her on the back; backing away as if their temporary spat never happened.
Suki's jaw dropped in complete and sheer surprise as she collapsed on the floor, "You, you mean you're not mad?" asked a nervous Suki as she pointed towards Katara.
Katara gave Suki a comforting smile and a nod.
Suki took a big sigh of relief, "You know, you really had me going there." said Suki as she chuckled and raised herself off the floor.
Katara giggled, "Yeah you should've see the look on your face." said Katara as she pleasantly smiled at Suki.
Both women giggled to each other until a loud voice interrupted their sweet moment.
"THE SHIP HAS NOW ARRIVED TO THE FIRE NATION; ALL THOSE DISEMBARKING PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS WITH YOU, AS THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS OR CREDIT FOR ANY LOST OR STOLEN ITEMS!" yelled the captain from the middle of the main deck, scratching his huge belly as he ate a huge Arctic Hen leg.
Both women looked at each other in confusion, then looked towards the of the ship to see the glorious Fire Nation; it's mountains and volcanoes high and mighty, and it's beaches so serene. Katara gasped quietly, "Wow, I forgot how beautiful this place was." said Katara as she picked up her things.
Suki looked delighted to see Katara happy and willing to embark on this journey with her and Toph. She picked up her belongings as well, "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" said Suki as she placed her belongings on her back and gestured to Katara to follow her.
Katara smiled and complied, feeling a sense of nervousness and anticipation at the same time. "I can't wait to see Lee; he's going to be so happy to see me." Thought Katara to herself as she and Suki disembarked from the ship. They soon reached the harbor, Katara and Suki both looked around and observed the many ships and small boats around them, each filled to its maximum capacity.
Suki scratched her head, "Gee, I guess lots of people want to visit the Fire Nation." Said Suki as she relaxed her hand and proceeded to exit the dock. Katara followed suit, seeing the many people, young and old, rich and poor, that were disembarking from other Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and Water Tribe ships.
"Yeah…I guess so." said Katara as she continued to follow Suki away from the harbor.
As Suki and Katara reached the main plaza, Suki began to look around, "Hmm…..I don't see her." said Suki as she proceeded to scavenge the plaza for any sign of her earth bending friend. Katara was checking out the many stores and markets that she, Suki and Toph will most likely be checking out during the remainder of their visit; one store soon caught her eye. "Bare Sensuality Clothing Boutique." Read Katara to herself as her eyes drifted to the dresses on display. She observed a yellow tinged dress, then green, then blue, and of course, red. "Wow, those dresses sure look beautiful." thought Katara as she proceeded to follow Suki in her quest to find Toph. Katara continued to observe the plaza and the many people buzzling in and out of every store and market around, she then noticed a small blind spot at the end of the market, a very familiar spot, "I remember this place." thought Katara to herself. She proceeded to walk closer and a sudden flash overcame her.
Aang observed the market in front of them, "Oh we're going to the meat place?" asked Aang worryingly.
"Come on Aang, everyone here eats meat, even the meat!" said Sokka as he pointed to a giant cow eating pieces of raw meat.
Aang's face turned to that of disgust, "You guys go ahead, I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage." said Aang.
Katara then waved to Aang as she entered the market with Sokka and Toph, Aang waved in return as he disappeared from her sight.
Katara soon returned to earth, "I remember this place, yeah; this is where Aang disappeared, to go to school." said Katara to herself as she stared at the blind spot, still void of sunlight, "The way I remember it." said Katara quietly, turning her back to it as she proceeded to follow Suki.
Suki was still looking frantically for her blind friend, wondering if she got the letter she sent days before, "Oh man, I hope she received my message." thought Suki worryingly. She continued to search frantically when her attention soon drifted towards a young woman, the only one in the entire plaza that was dressed in green clothing, relaxing on the wooden pole of an entrance to a small food market, staring at what seems to be nothing.
Suki's face gleamed as she smiled at the sight of the young woman in green, "There she is!" exclaimed Suki as she yanked Katara by the shoulder of her shirt pointing to the woman she just caught glimpse of.
Katara's attention soon shifted from the beautiful dresses that were on display to the figure Suki was pointing to. Katara observed the figure and noticed the familiar green clothing, slightly better fitted with a similar bundt hairstyle that her old friend once wore, except now the bundt is smaller, and the rest of her hair flowed down to her back in a tight ponytail. She continued to analyze the young woman until she reached her eyes, those cool blue, blank eyes that she remembered so. Katara's face then turned from analytical to joyous as she finally recognized the young woman Suki was pointing to.
"Toph!" yelled Katara as she waved excitedly to capture her attention.
Toph turned to face the two young women, "You know Katara, I'm still blind, just in case you didn't catch the memo." said Toph sarcastically.
Katara quit her wave embarrassingly, "heh heh, oh yeah I forgot." said Katara quietly as she rubbed her arm.
Toph walked towards the two your women, then smiled, "Eh, it's alright, it is sort of easy to forget." said Toph as she lightly chuckled. She then reached Katara and Suki, "I knew you guys arrived; as soon as you two stepped on the dock I immediately felt you, and walked out of the market I was in to make sure you two saw me." Said Toph as she rubbed the back of her neck, "This place is so busy now since we were last here, right Katara." asked Toph.
Katara looked around, "You noticed too huh?" asked Katara as she tried to catch a better grip of her belongings.
Toph noticed her struggle and immediately changed the subject, "Alright, so where are we bunking?" asked Toph as she slammed the ground with her foot, catapulting her own belongings into the air and landing straight on her hand.
Suki then glanced at the position of the sun above her head, "Well, it's midday, so we have all day to look for a place to stay." continued Suki, struggling with her overbearing bag herself, "But I think now's a good time to find a place to stay." said Suki as she adjusted her belongings.
Katara groaned at the overbearing heat beaming down on her face, wiping the sweat trickling down her neck and to her collarbone, "Well, I suggest we start looking for an inn and get out of this hot sun." said Katara as she let out a light chuckle.
Toph rolled her eyes as she raised her brow, "Geesh, you guys are such pansies." said Toph as she grabbed both Katara's and Suki's bags, volunteering to carry them to whichever inn they decided to stay in. Katara and Suki smiled thankfully, Toph returned the smile caringly as they began their search for a local inn.
Aang walked out of the restroom after a long, warm bath, with nothing but his monk trousers on as he wiped his soaked head, shoulders and chest with a soft cloth provided by Onji. As soon as he finished drying himself off, he proceeded to put on the rest of his ensemble; socks, shoes, followed by his undershirt and robes, and finally, his endeared medallion. He looked at himself at the mirror on top of the dresser, making sure he was dressed perfectly. He placed his index finger and thumb on his chin, lifting it up to get a closer look, "Hmmm, looks like I need to shave soon." said Aang as he released his grip and scrubbed his robes with his hands. He then walked towards his bed, pondering his thoughts over what the Nations have asked him to do…
"Avatar Aang, you must continue the cycle of the Avatar; it is with your offspring that the Avatar cycle will be sustained. This is your ultimate duty to the world, Avatar, and it is one that must be completed by the winter of next year..."
Aang groaned as he placed his hands over his face, his nerves shot by the constant thought of those very words the diplomat mentioned in the round table. He soon lost grip of his face and rested his arms on his knees, "Ugh, It's times like this that make me wish I wasn't the Avatar." thought Aang intimately to himself as he pondered over whether or not to make the 'move' to Onji anytime soon. The concept of making love to Onji was one that he didn't ponder over too much, as the thought was overwhelming for him, especially since he's fresh out of a previous relationship with Katara. Just as Aang was continuing wondering over what he should do, a knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Aang, can I come in?" asked Onji.
Aang turned his head swiftly towards the door, "Yeah, you can come in." said Aang.
Onji proceeded to open the door slowly, peeking just her head through the crack, "Hey, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the plaza, you know, to look for an outfit for us to wear to Zuko's event." suggested Onji kindly.
Aang got up from the bed and turned to face her, his face etched in concern, "Sure." Said Aang haphazardly as his eyes wandered to the side, glancing at the bed next to him.
Onji quickly sensed that his mind was elsewhere, and gave Aang a worried look, "Aang, do you want to talk about it?" asked Onji as she walked towards the young Avatar.
Aang hesitated for a moment, glancing at the beautiful young woman before him, "Well, yes and no." answered Aang disappointingly.
Onji finally reached Aang and grabbed his hand, "Here, sit down." Suggested Onji as she pulled Aang down towards the bed, sitting next to him in an area Aang considered very much to be intimate.
Aang gulped nervously, wondering if he'll be able to do this, "Onji, I don't think I'll be able to do this." said Aang, turning his head away from Onji as he began to stare at his knees.
Onji looked at Aang with a puzzled expression, "Huh, what do you mean?" asked Onji.
Aang then turned to face the beautiful young woman, "Onji, I don't think I can do this…with you anytime soon." said Aang as he glanced at the bed they were both sitting very close on.
Onji placed her hand gently on the young Avatar's face as she gently turned it to face her, "It's alright Aang; we don't have to do anything you don't want to." said Onji comfortingly, "I will wait as long as you want me to." said Onji seductively as she ran her fingers down his chest, her eyes blazing with lust. Aang took quick notice of Onji's desire to be with him, gazing at her finger as it traveled lower and lower until it reached the side of his most intimate area. Aang's cheeks blushed as he immediately began to feel uncomfortable, while Onji's lips traveled to his, locking as she kissed him furiously. Aang complied willingly, only to back away as soon as her tongue slipped into his mouth, for he knew he had to immediately stop the both of them, for fear that their 'moment' might escalate into something he might later regret. Aang smiled and took the hand that Onji just finished trying to seduce Aang with and placed it on her lap, "Thank you Onji." said Aang as he raised himself from the bed, "Now, how's about you and I get out of here and check out what's new in that plaza?" asked Aang determinedly.
Onji quickly got up, feeling a bit embarrassed over having tried to seduce Aang, "Uh, y-yeah, sure." said Onji as she forced a smile to the young Avatar.
Aang lent out his hand to the young Fire Nation woman; Onji blushed as she went to grab it and soon their fingers were intertwined with one another, ready to make their small trip to the Main Plaza.
Katara, Toph and Suki exited from the small Inn they rented out for the next couple of days, stretching their limbs as if they've been carrying rocks throughout their journey.
Toph pointed at both Suki and Katara, "I don't even know why the two of you are stretching; I was the one that was carrying all of your luggage around." pointed out Toph.
Katara and Suki both looked at each other in embarrassment over having their friend carry their bags, Katara soon intervened, "You know, you DID volunteer to carry our bags, so don't place all the blame on us." humphed Katara as she crossed her arms frustratingly.
Toph chuckled, "Whatever." said Toph as Katara gave her a menacing glare, "So, where do you guys want to go first?" asked Toph.
Suki and Katara looked at the powerful earth bender, and soon Suki intervened, "Well, I didn't see any store of particular interest." Said Suki as she thought long and hard over what store they should visit first.
Toph soon responded to Suki's answer, "'Particular Interest'? What is this, some sort of search for some random renegade fugitive?" asked Toph sarcastically, Suki soon shot Toph an annoyed glare.
Katara then intervened, "Alright guys calm down; Actually, I saw a boutique when we first got here Suki. It had some very nice dresses, why don't we check that out?" asked Katara as she pointed towards the direction where they first arrived.
Suki followed her finger as Toph's eyes remained blank, "We'll alright then, do you remember the name of the boutique?" asked Suki
Katara smiled, "Yeah, it's called the Bare Sensuality Clothing Boutique." Said Katara as her focus changed to Toph, "It has some very nice outfits for us to wear to the event, so why not check it out?" suggested Katara.
Suki and Toph smiled and agreed with the young water tribe woman, "Alright, sounds like a plan." Said Toph excitedly, "Just lead the way." finished Toph.
Suki also acceded, "It sounds like a nice place, let's check it out." said Suki as she gave Katara a thumbs up.
Katara then gave a hand gesture to follow her as they made their way towards the boutique. As they walked towards their destination, they were being constantly bumped and pushed by the giant crowd of people accumulated smack dab in the middle of the plaza.
"Geez, why are there so many frickin' people here?" asked Toph aloud frustratingly as she struggled to follow her companions.
Suki proceeded to push some random guy trying to cop a cheap feel, "Ugh, I don't even know, but this is definitely annoying." answered Suki annoyingly as she followed Katara.
Katara noticed her friends' disgruntlement, "Don't worry guys, we're almost there." shouted Katara over the enormous crowd emanating from the center of the plaza.
The three young women soon made their way past the vast multitude and into the entrance of the boutique. Strangely enough, when they entered they noticed the lack of customers inside the boutique.
Katara raised her brow, "That's weird; there's no one here." said Katara suspiciously.
Suki nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that's really strange." said Katara.
Toph walked in further, "I'll check and see if there really isn't anyone here." said Toph as she proceeded to use her Seismic Sensing to track down any one who may be in the store, "There's, three, three people, over there." said Toph as she pointed towards the direction of a dark area all the way in the back of the boutique.
Katara and Suki's attention focused towards that direction; noticing a sign above an entrance that led to a hidden hall that seemed to be located behind the wall where the boutique ended. They both looked at each other as they nodded, almost as if they were ready for battle, and proceeded to walk towards the hidden hall. They continued to approach the hall carefully, making sure not to startle any potential intruder into attacking; As they finally reached the hidden hall with the sign over it that read 'fitting rooms', an older woman, looking to be in her late 40's, stopped them both.
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid the Boutique's closed." said the sales associate as she gestured the young women to leave.
Toph became incredibly angered by the woman's coldness, "What! What do you mean you're closed? We just got here!" yelled Toph as she pounded the ground below her feet.
The sales associate looked at Toph disgustingly as if she were a parasite of sort, then snuffed as she raised her chin and looked away, "We are harboring special guests and wish to give them the up most respect of privacy we possibly can. We can't just let" continued the sales associate as she turned her head to face Toph again, analyzing her from the tip of her head to the bottom of her bare feet, "Low lives plague our boutique with such disgraceful manners." said the sales associate as she continued to eye Toph rudely, crossing her arms in authority.
Katara did a bit of analyzing on her own, gazing angrily at the sales associate who was denying her and her friends the right to shop in her store. She saw how miserable looking the woman looked, a snooty woman, with pearls of good quality embellished on her boney neck and pricey rings and bracelets decorating her frail hands. She knew they were dealing with a snob, and decided to put on an act.
"I'm terribly sorry ma'am, this is my cousin; she happens to be very disturbed you see." said Katara as she pointed to her blind friend.
"What!" yelled Toph as she began to growl under her breath.
Suki then nudged her on the shoulder and approached her ear, "Play along." whispered Suki.
Toph then understood, "Oh, gotcha." whispered Toph as she sensed the sales associate trying to see if what Katara was insinuating was true. Toph quickly played along and began to scratch her bottom and pick her nose as she blew raspberries to Suki, spraying her with her spit.
Suki backed away in disgust, "Geez, ok I get it!" exclaimed Suki as Toph laughed annoyingly.
Katara gave her friends a thumbs up and a huge grin as she nodded positively while the sales associate was looking away, shocked and repulsed by Toph's mannerisms. The sales associate soon turned to face Katara; Katara immediately put her thumb down when she caught notice of the sales associate watching her, "Well, I understand your situation, you're 'cousin' does seem awfully disturbed." said the sales associate as she grabbed her hands and placed them on the small of her back, walking away from the young water tribe woman with her chin in the air.
"But, as I have stated before, we are harboring special guests, and want to keep this boutique as comfortable for them as possible." said the sales associate snootily.
Toph's eyes widened as she caught sense of one of the individuals in the fitting rooms behind the wall at the end of the store; she felt the individual's footsteps to be very familiar, a little too familiar.
Katara began to become hostile, "But, but that's not fair; are they paying you extra to close the store for everyone else!" exclaimed Katara, angered that she couldn't shop in the boutique because two selfish people didn't want anyone else to shop alongside them.
The sales associate turned to face Katara, "No, as a matter of fact they didn't, I volunteered." Finished the sales associate as she bent down to come face to face with Katara.
Toph continued to sense the vibrations below her feet, "Suki, Suki!." Exclaimed Toph.
Toph soon caught Suki's attention, "What is it?" asked Suki as she got closer to Toph to listen to her whisper.
Toph approached Suki's ear, "I know one of the people who is here, but if I'm going to get his attention, do you think Katara will get upset?" asked Toph.
Suki backed her head and turned to see Katara and the sales associate arguing over whether they should be allowed to shop in the boutique or not, then turned to face Toph, "Well, who is it?" asked Suki curiously.
Toph got closer to Suki's ear and gave her answer; Suki's eyes widened as she chuckled at Toph, "No no, I think she'll be fine, believe me." said Suki.
Toph turned to see the young water tribe woman still debating with the sales associate, "But see there's a problem." insinuated Toph.
Suki raised her brow, "What is it?" asked Suki as she bent closer to Toph.
"Well, the other person that's there is a woman; I'm not sure, but I think they're here together." said Toph as she stared blankly at the ground below her feet.
Suki's eyes widened in horror as she remembered what Katara mentioned to her back in Ba Sing Se…
"I messed up." continued Katara as she closed her eyes, "I figured that controlling him would somehow keep him, but instead, I pushed him away." said Katara. "And pushed him to someone else…."
Suki then realized that her water bending friend was on the brink of facing a situation that she didn't think she was ready confront, "Toph, I think we should leave." insisted Suki.
Toph nodded compliantly and was about to approach Katara and insist they just go to another store when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks in shock, her mouth gaping as if she'd been petrified.
Suki quickly advanced towards Toph, placing her hand on her shoulder as she tried to shake her out of her state, "Toph, Toph! What's the matter?" exclaimed Suki as she continued to shake, only to catch glimpse of the reason why Toph had frozen in the first place.
Suki's eyes widened as she saw Aang, standing by the entrance to the fitting rooms.
Aang watched on as Katara argued with the sales associate, trying to somehow convince her that they have a right to shop in the boutique as anyone else does.
"IT'S NOT FAIR, I CAME HERE ALL THE WAY FROM BA SING SE SO THAT YOU CAN JUST PUSH ME AND MY FRIENDS AWAY, AS IF WE WERE SOME SORT OF COCKROACHES UNDERNEATH YOUR SHOE!" yelled Katara.
"YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE YOU PIECE OF SCUM!" yelled the sales associate back at Katara.
The sales associate's insult to Katara pierced a nerve in the young Avatar as he widened his eyes in shock over the sales associate's behavior; Aang decided to quickly intervene and put a stop to the arguing.
"Let them shop." said Aang with authority.
The young water tribe woman turned to face the young man standing by the entrance to the fitting rooms, and immediately recognized him, "Aang?" said Katara in sheer surprise.
Aang smiled at the young water tribe woman, "Hello Katara." said Aang sweetly.
Katara smiled in return as she backed away and joined Suki and Toph. The sales associate looked on in repugnance, then turned to face the Avatar, "You, you know this filth?" asked the sales associate as she pointed at the group of young ladies behind her.
Aang gave her a stern look, "As a matter of fact I do; these are my friends." declared Aang as lent his hand towards the young women, "They can shop here if they so please." said Aang as he lowered his hand to his side.
The sales associate's face twisted in confusion, "Bu, bub u, but, uh…" babbled the sales associate.
Aang's displeasure over the way his friends have been treated caused him to speak out, "You let them shop here, or I'll make sure that everyone knows of the Avatar's displeasing shopping experience in one of the most talked about boutiques in the Fire Nation." declared Aang angrily.
The sales associate finally knew she has been defeated, and bowed in respect to the supreme authority before her, "Yes, young Avatar." said the sales associate as she raised herself from her bow and quickly made her way to the fitting rooms.
Aang's eyes followed the sales associate until she completely disappeared, and when she did, he turned to see his old friends, who looked a bit uncomfortable by being in his presence.
Aang raised his brow, "What are you guys…doing here?" asked Aang caringly as he placed his fists on his waist.
Toph and Suki smiled as she chuckled and waved nervously, for they knew that Katara was clueless to the reason Aang was in an all-women's boutique in the first place.
"Uh, hey Aang" said Toph nervously as she grabbed her hands behind her back and gave a huge grin.
"Well-we-better-go-it-was-nice-to-see-you-again-Aang." said Suki rapidly as she gestured to the exit of the boutique.
Katara gave Toph and Suki a suspicious look, "What's the matter with you two, why are you both acting so strange?" asked Katara as she placed her fists on her waist.
Toph opened her mouth to answer, but as soon as she was about to speak a word, a feminine voice came from the fitting rooms, "Aang?" called Onji sensually, hastily looking for Aang, "Aang, where are you?" called Onji as she giggled.
Katara's eyes widened as she looked at Aang dead in his face, trying not to show the slightest sense of displeasure at another woman calling his name in such a seductive manner.
Aang and Katara's eyes were locked on, for they both knew it was only a matter of time until that moment would happen, the moment Katara would come face to face with the woman that helped break their relationship. Aang somewhat cringed at the sound of Onji calling his name; not because her voice itself bothered him, but because Katara was there, listening to her call him the way she did, and he was very anxious as to how Katara would react in meeting his new girlfriend for the first time.
Onji finally unveiled herself, revealing the thin gown she was preparing to wear to the Fire Nation event. Katara gazed at the young woman and marveled the dark pink outfit she was wearing, how beautiful it looked on her, and how beautiful she was. She proceeded to analyze her face, how sultry and soft it looked, and how her short bob accentuated her features perfectly.
Katara immediately felt a surge of anger overcome her, and jealousy soon creeped it's way behind, "So, this is the woman Aang left me for." said Katara disappointingly, for she realized that the woman her ex ran off with was not only pretty, but a dazzling sight to behold, especially in the outfit she tried on.
Aang noticed Katara's uncomfortable state, and immediately turned around to see Onji's outfit. He took a long hard look at it, "I don't know; it looks too flashy. I heard that you need to dress comfortably in order to dance at the event; how do you plan to dance wearing something like that?" asked Aang as he gestured to the outfit the young Fire Nation woman had on.
Suki looked at Toph, "dress comfortably? To dance? He didn't tell me that." said Suki.
Toph agreed as she nodded her head, observing what was unfolding before her.
Onji's expression turned sour, "Well Aang, for your information I wasn't planning on dancing that night." humphed Onji as she crossed her arms.
Toph raised her eyebrow and ducked her head, for she was very annoyed by the highbrow way this woman carried herself.
Suki's mouth gaped as she squinted her eyes angrily at the young Fire Nation Woman's attitude.
Aang smiled and chuckled nervously, "Well, alright then, if that's what you want." said Aang as Onji smiled in return; she then ran up to the Avatar, kissing him on the lips in front of the spectators behind them.
Katara, Suki and Toph's eyes widened at the sight, "How could he?" thought Suki to herself as she looked away. Toph also looked away, "What a jerk" thought Toph to herself as she stared blankly at the ground, feeling the movements of their lips connected to one another.
Katara on the other hand, couldn't keep her eyes off of them as their lips locked in such a sensual and personal way. Her fists balled as she fought back the urge to cry, "How…could he?" thought Katara as she continued to fight the urge to show any expression of anger or hurt. She suddenly felt the waves of mixed emotions hit her like a tsunami as she saw Aang's hand reach down to the small of the young woman's back, pushing her closer to him, "How, how selfish is this?" asked Katara to herself as she bit her lip, still watching Aang and this woman's loving embrace from the sidelines as if she were some spectator. It almost felt as if she was having an out of body experience, watching from another realm, just trying to avoid the hurt she's kept hidden in her heart over Aang's departure. Katara immediately got a grip, realizing that this was no place to lose control, especially in the presence of Aang; she can't let him see her hurt, so she turned away and approached her friends, looking down on the ground as if she's been defeated in a long and excruciating battle.
Suki and Toph both patted her back, Suki intervened, "You know, we don't have to shop here; we can go anywhere else." said Suki caringly.
Toph showed her sweet, caring side, a side she rarely shows, "Yeah, let's go somewhere else Katara, we don't have to be here if you don't want to, even if doofus over there convinced that crazy lady to let us shop here." insisted Toph, easily sensing Katara's distress.
Katara's somber expression soon changed into a determined look, "No, no I'm not going anywhere. He's not going to dictate any aspect of my life." said Katara as she raised her head up high and turned to face the lovers.
Aang's focus soon turned to Katara, just to make sure she was alright, "Ugh, why did Onji decide to kiss me now, of all times?" thought Aang to himself as he moved his hands away from Onji's embrace to face Katara, Suki and Toph watching from the other side of the boutique.
Katara walked over to the two lovers, both watching her as she approached them sternly. Aang had such a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach at the probability that Katara may have been hurt by seeing him with someone else, but decided to man up to it and face her.
Katara finally approached them, Onji looking at her discombobulated, "Uh…hi." said Onji to the young water tribe woman who stood before her, a baffled look etched on her face.
Katara smiled at the young woman, "Hello, my name is Katara; I'm Aang's friend." said Katara, shocking Aang, Toph, and Suki who just watched the whole scenario. Katara then pointed to her two friends who were standing behind her, baffled by her actions, "And these are our friends, Toph and Suki." said Katara as she gestured behind her to Suki and Toph, both standing there in disbelief by Katara's boldness.
Onji's confusion soon turned to relief, "Onji, it's nice to meet you." said Onji as she walked towards Katara to give her a hand.
Katara smiled and complied, exchanging a friendly handshake as they giggled strangely at one another.
Aang was still in a sense of shock, he felt such a strong wave of relief to see both Onji and Katara shaking hands that he smiled warmly at the two. Toph and Suki both exchanged glances at each other as Katara let go of Onji's grip, "Likewise." said Katara difficultly.
Katara wanted to stay, she wanted to shop in the boutique, but she knew her presence there while Aang and his new girlfriend were shopping would just be too awkward and painful for her to bear. She decided that maybe she should leave with Toph and Suki and try to find their Fire Nation event ensembles somewhere else and avoid confrontation.
Katara turned to her friends, and they immediately saw a small bit of sadness foreshadowed by the false look of happiness on Katara's face, and immediately understood what she wanted to do. Suki rubbed her back, "Alright, let's go." said Suki as she smiled comfortingly to the young woman before her. Toph exchanged looks with Suki as she lightly shoved Katara on the shoulder. Katara let out a smile, for she knows very well that Toph expressed affection by shoves and punches, strangely enough.
Onji rolled her eyes in annoyance as she departed back to the fitting room to try on more outfits; Aang caught quick glance of Onji's gesture and disappointingly looked to Katara who was being comforted by Suki and Toph; He realized that that whole 'greeting' was just a façade. Katara turned her head around, sensing his eyes on her back and gave him a sweet smile, letting him know that she understands the whole scenario as was alright. She then whispered, "Bye Aang…"
Aang looked on painfully as she saw Katara walk away from him, "Oh man, I can't believe this; she seemed happy, but I know, I know she's not" thought Aang to himself, feeling incredibly guilty over having had Katara see him kissing the woman he broke up with her to be with. Suki and Toph departed alongside Katara, and waved to Aang as they left with Katara side by side. Aang waved and grinned cheesily at his friends, sighing as he hid the hurt he felt for Katara having seen him lock lips with the woman who now holds his heart.
Katara, Toph and Suki struggled to get through the enormous crowd yet again, each of them growling in annoyance over the whole debacle that just occurred. When they finally got free from the multitude, they met up and formed a group.
Toph sighed, "Well, that didn't work out as expected." said Toph sarcastically.
Katara's eyes drifted to the ground, her focus still over what happened back in the boutique. Toph noticed the young water tribe woman's melancholy and quickly tried to change the subject, "Well, we can always try another boutique." said Toph.
Suki smiled as she rubbed Katara's shoulder, "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea; we'll try again tomorrow, but for now, let's just try to get something to eat." said Suki as she glanced at Katara to see if she somehow got a reaction from her.
Surely enough, Katara looked up and smiled at the former Kioshi Warrior, "Sounds like a plan." said Katara happily.
Another awkward moment; Stay Tuned…