I Need To Find Myself
Ok my fellow readers, get ready to read what I consider to be the wolly mammoth of all my chapters, coming in at a walloping 20,321 words! It is a very long chapter, but I believe it's very worth the read; so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. (^-^) I also have a little extra something for you all at the very end, well not much of a surprise but I still hope you guys like it; Can't wait to read your reactions in my reviews section; Now on to the story!
Songs Inspired: Dr. Dre - Kush ft. Snoop Dogg, Akon and Sly / O...SAYA-Rahman & M.I.A.
(I seriously recommend that you listen to O Saya before reading this chapter, so that you get a better feel of the ambience that I'm trying to deliver in certain parts.)
Katara was knelt before her open bottom drawer, frantically searching for the outfit she was going to wear to the Fire Nation Event as she continued to unintentionally decorate her room with flyaway blouses, pants and skirts. She became frustrated as she desperately continued to search until finally, she found it; the dress she and Suki picked for the Event that would be held that very night, gently tucked and folded underneath the massive amount of clothing Katara had piled on top of it throughout the months. Katara took a deep sigh of relief as she gently picked it up, unfolding it before her very eyes. "Wow, I haven't seen this dress in so long, I almost forgot how pretty it looked." said Katara eagerly as she continued to admire its simple, yet elegant beauty; but she immediately snapped out of it, knowing that she didn't have much time left. She gently folded the dress, placing it inside her already prepared bag as she pulled its strings; tightening its opening as she proceeded to tie them together into a bow. When Katara finished, she ran towards her mirror and began to swiftly brush her hair as she hastily put on her shoes; bobby pins hanging from her pinned lips as she gathered her locks into a messy, but flattering bun. As she finished placing the last bobby pin into her already- styled hair, she took one step back, just to make sure she looked ok. "Nice, very nice; Lee's going to love me in these." said Katara to herself as she continued to pose in front of her mirror; approving the brand new night-blue tights she bought the week before, accompanied with a light blue kimono top that reached down to her bottom and black, feminine boots on her feet. Katara continued to skim through her hourglass figure, innocently appreciating the body she has been gracefully given, and how amazing the clothes she was wearing looked on her. As Katara carried on with her wardrobe-worship, she suddenly realized something, letting out a light shriek as her eyes widened, "What am I doing! I'm supposed to be out of here in 20 minutes!" thought Katara to herself as she halted herself from continuing to adore her tights; lunging at her bag as she fleetly took off from her room, inadvertently slamming it behind her.
As Katara made it down the stairs, she caught sight of Iroh; waiting by the doors to give Katara his blessing. Katara walked towards the former general, smiling kindly as he returned the gesture, "Seeing me off, Iroh?" asked Katara as she raised her eyebrow, a small chuckle escaping her grin. Iroh burst out in laughter as he held onto his jiggling gut, "Why, yes, yes I am. And to give you my blessing." continued Iroh as he rubbed the back of his head; his expression soon turned resolute, "Today will be a day of enjoyment and self-discovery; my advice to you Katara is to relax and let the feeling flow." finished Iroh enigmatically as he slightly bowed his head to the young water bender. Katara nodded her head as she chuckled, "Ok; I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'll go along with whatever you say I should do." said Katara, giving the tea shop owner a considerate hug as Iroh complied. He then broke the embrace, taking one last look at the water bender as he placed his hands on her shoulders, "Remember, relax." said Iroh. Katara nodded compliantly as she bolted off, waving goodbye to Iroh as she ran to catch her ship. She ran as quickly as she could, breathing heavily as she sprinted to the dock while trying to put the plan she and the girls came up with back in the Fire Nation.
"Okay; so I'll meet Suki, Sokka, Toph and her date at the same spot we met up the last time we were in the Fire Nation. Then, we'll pick up Lee; and finally, we'll head towards Zuko's Palace, situate our things, get ready, and head towards the Event hall." said Katara cleverly to herself as her constant running caused her bag to slam continuously on her back. "Ugh; maybe I should've just brought a couple of weapons with me instead of a whole militia." said an irritated Katara as she tried pointlessly to adjust her bag comfortably on her back. She knew she had to be prepared for Azula under any circumstances, even during a time like this; thus she packed well for any unpredictable battle that may come her way. She knew her water bending skill was her ultimate ammunition, but she was also aware that between a battle of water and lightning, there was no contest. After a constant race against the clock, she finally made it to her destination. She gazed up at the ship determinedly as the wind lifted the loose strands of hair from her face and the sunset coated the side of her body with deep pigments of yellow, red and purple. As her focus turned to the ship's giant red flag and black fire symbol in its middle, she remembered Iroh's words, "…unite everyone within the Nation in harmony, teach the young adults that it's ok to relax and enjoy the labor of the Earth..." Katara couldn't help but feel a bit hesitant about attending this Event, especially when she didn't know exactly what was going to happen once she walked through those hall doors, but she didn't want to disappoint Lee and flat out not show up. She then took full control of her trepidation; "Well, this is it." said Katara as she took in a deep breath; exhaling every bit of tension that lingered within her about the circumstances that mysteriously surrounded Zuko's gathering. She raised her head up; feeling eager to undertake this journey, and attend the Event that she and her friends have been awaiting anxiously to transpire. "Better get on board before I become stranded here." said Katara as she excitedly ran onto the passenger platform with bag in hand.
Aang took a deep yawn as he stretches his limbs, "Oh man, wow." said Aang as he rubbed the tired away from his eyes, "Today's the big day. Can't wait!" said Aang as he ascended from his guest bed; his body rotating as if it were a spin top until he gracefully landed his feet onto the wooden floor below him. He was excited, no, ecstatic about the upcoming day, especially since he still has no idea about exactly what's going to happen. He glided through the floor merrily as he reached for his robes and undergarments, humming a gleeful tune with a giant grin planted on his face as he continued to glide all the way to the restroom, clothes and joyfulness in hand as if her were surfing freely inside one of the many tunnel waves that form in the waters in front of Onji's home. Aang started the water in the bathtub and commenced to do his usual morning routine when he received a knock on his restroom door.
"Aang?" asked Onji.
"Mm-hmm?" muffled Aang as he continued to brush his teeth.
Onji became frustrated; she didn't want to have to talk to Aang through a door, "Ugh, never mind; I'll wait until you're done." said an irritated Onji as she walked back up the stairs and slammed the door behind her.
Aang raised his eyebrow curiously at Onji's 'unusual' behavior, "Geez, what's her problem?" thought Aang to himself as he spit and rinsed his mouth, smiling to the mirror in front of him just to make sure his teeth are spic and span. He then walked into the warm bath he ran earlier, washing himself thoroughly with a soft sponge and rinsed himself off with a bucket of sudless water. He then took the long, warm towel that hung by the tub and dried himself off; putting on his robes and his most significant object, his medallion, soon after. Aang looked at himself in the mirror, checking that every part of his ensemble was in its place, and quickly dashed out of the restroom to meet Onji upstairs.
As Aang opened the door to the living room with his Event outfit in hand, he spotted Onji, sulking on her wooden love seat with a troubled look on her face. She then noticed the young Avatar, looking at her worryingly as he slowly approached her, which somewhat startled her as she tilted her head away from him. "Onji, are you alright?" asked a concerned Aang.
Onji crossed her arms lightly as she took a light breath, "Aang, do we really have to go to this place first?" asked Onji sweetly.
Aang let out a light chuckle, "Well, yeah. Zuko personally invited all of us to have brunch with him and his wife Mai." answered Aang kindly as he took a seat next to his lover.
Onji's focus then changed to the small coffee table in front of her, staring at it with huge puppy dog eyes, "I don't know Aang; It's just that…" Onji hesitated, not wanting to bring up the same subject that has continuously troubled her since the day she and Aang began dating.
Aang noticed Onji's discomfort, his eyes curiously following her hand as it consoled her left arm. Just then it hit him, and his expression grew from concern to being irked in less than a millisecond, "Onji, you need to get over this."said Aang sternly as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
Onji looked up at him, her eyes shining brightly as if coated in glossy porcelain; "Aang, it's just so hard, almost difficult to get over the fact that you and Katara have a history." continued Onji as her lower eyelids began to swell with tears, "And knowing she's going to be there…" Onji hesitated for a moment as she tried to gather her composure, "I-I'm just afraid Aang, that you'll see her and fall back into her arms." finished a disheartened Onji as she smoothly moved her hand towards Aang's, longingly looking into his eyes as if searching for the answer to all of her questions deep within his pupils.
Aang was beginning to feel a bit weirded out by Onji's obsession with Katara, but understood where she was coming from. He knew that he and Katara did indeed have a long history together, four years in fact; he knew that it wasn't going to just be simple transition not just for himself but for Onji, and was willing to do whatever he could to make Onji as happy and as comfortable as possible in their relationship. But, he also knew that he couldn't allow Onji control every aspect of his life, including who he can see and when; after all, that was part of the reason why he and Katara ended their relationship in the first place, he didn't want history to repeat itself. And yet; although he knew that he and Katara were over, and has been for a while, for some strange reason, he felt that Onji had every right to feel threatened by Katara. Aang squint his eyes as if he were in pain, immediately attempting to discard those last thoughts that skimmed through his head; placing his hand on his forehead as he tilted his head towards his chest, struggling with his inner contemplation as if he were fighting a war within himself.
Onji looked on as Aang continued to struggle within his own thoughts; afraid that she finally struck a nerve within the young Avatar, "Aang, Aang I'm so sorry. I was just being paranoid, but I'm over it now, see?" said Onji as she grinned desperately; trying to remedy the situation as she tightly grabbed hold of his arm.
Aang suddenly snapped out of the light trance he was in, opening his heavy lidded eyes as if he were in a deep meditation. He looked to the innocent display of a desperate Onji, clinging to him as she continued to give Aang a cheesy grin; Aang couldn't help but chuckle tiredly at the comical sight as he nodded his head caringly at the young Fire Nation woman, smoothing Onji's rosy cheeks with his thumb.
"Relax, everything's going to be fine; today is a day of enjoyment, so shouldn't you be at the very least excited for the Event tonight?" asked Aang as he lightly grabbed Onji's arms, placing them on her lap as if they were delicate instruments.
Onji took a deep breath, and looked deep within her lover's eyes, "Yeah, you're right; I just need to relax." said Onji as she smiled caringly at Aang.
Aang returned the smile, "Now, shouldn't you be getting your things ready for tonight?" asked Aang as he got up from the love seat.
Onji nodded happily, "Already have everything ready." said Onji as she pointed to the small, lightweight bag that was lying by the entrance to the house.
Aang looked at the small bag, then looked at Onji happily, "So let's get going then!" exclaimed Aang eagerly as he walk to the door and picked up Onji's bag, looking back at his lover excitedly, gesturing with his shoulder that she follow him.
Onji looked on; her expression turning gleeful as she hopped from her seat enthusiastically, meeting the man that occupies her heart by the door as they both took off hand in hand to the Fire Lord's Palace.
Toph, Suki, and Sokka waited patiently by the Fire Nation Harbor for the young water bender to come out of the Fire Nation Ship; well, almost patiently. "What the heck is taking my sister so long?" asked Sokka annoyingly as he munched grotesquely on a giant arctic hen leg. "Take a chill pill will ya?" said Toph as she pointed her finger to his nose, Sokka's eyes slightly bulging fearfully as they concentrated on that deathly finger, "She's about to get off soon; I can feel her vibrations emanating from the main deck, but just to put this simply enough for even you to understand, she'll be disembarking in about 20 seconds." finished Toph as she folded her arms wittingly. Sokka shot Toph a mean glare, "Well, no one asked for you to be so technical about it." said Sokka slyly as he opened his mouth wide, ready to take another hunk of his meat; but just as he was about to do so, Toph shot a rock the size of a gold piece at Sokka's head, causing him to flinch in pain as he rubbed the hit area, "Watch it Toph! I won't hold back to retaliate the next time you try to be slick!" yelled Sokka as his face twisted in anger, flailing his arctic hen leg as spit flew out of his mouth. Toph covered her face from Sokka's spit shower as her face turned into that of disgust, "Ugh, say it don't spray it." said Toph as she devilishly smiled behind her hands. Sokka's face turned tomato red and fumes began to spew from his ears as he balled his fists in rage, "What!" yelled Sokka as he lifted his finger, ready to give Toph a counterattack of his own as he threw his arctic hen leg to the ground, but just as he was about to do so, Suki interrupted them both; coming in between them as she stretched her hands out and pushed them on opposite directions, "Alright guys break it up; she's here." said Suki as she pointed to the young water bender, standing on the dock as she looked at her friends and brother with righteously loving eyes as she held her bag over her shoulder. Suki and Sokka looked on happily as they began to jog to Katara's position; Katara began to jog towards them as well, while Toph crossed her arms and stood her ground as she smiled caringly to Katara's approach.
Katara dropped her bag and ran towards the recently engaged couple, jumping into their grasps as the three exchanged a deep embrace, tears running down her face, "I've missed you guys so much." said Katara as she pulled away from them, her eyes slightly swelled with tears of joy.
Suki began to slightly tear as well by the sight of Katara's own tears, nodding her head agreeably as she placed her hand on Katara's shoulder, while Sokka placed his hand on her other shoulder, "Well, you can always move back in with me if you miss me that much." said Sokka jokingly as he let out a slight cackle.
Katara then chuckled nervously as she pushed Sokka's hand away, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves now." said Katara as she raised her eyebrow to her brother.
Sokka lifted his shoulders as he gave Katara an egotistical look, "Hey; the option's still open." said Sokka as he put his hands in his pockets. He then began analyzing his sister and her behavior, making sure she was truly as ok as Suki worded it out to be the last time she and his sister met in the Fire Nation, "You look good." said Sokka innocently as he nodded his head agreeably; taking his lover's waist as he pulled her close to him while Suki lovingly placed her hands on his shoulder
Katara smiled thankfully, "Yeah, I'm trying to watch my figure." answered Katara innocently as she looked down and rubbed her hands on her stomach, raising her face to meet Sokka's as she chuckled.
Sokka nodded happily; feeling somewhat thankful that Katara didn't fully catch what he was trying to insinuate, "Come on, we have to get your boyfriend." said Sokka as he let go of his hold on Suki, gesturing the two women to follow him.
Katara picked up her bag while Suki immediately interceded her fiancé's plan, "Um, you have no idea where Lee lives." pointed Suki out questionably as she walked behind her fiancé.
Sokka pointed his finger into the air, "Ahh, but that is why I rely on my instincts to find even the most secluded people in this planet." claimed Sokka proudly as he continued to walk towards Toph.
Katara couldn't help but laugh at Sokka's boastful claim, a tear escaping her eye as she tried to cover her mouth from spewing more giggles, "You're kidding, right?" asked Katara as she continued to follow her brother, "Like how you relied on your instincts when you walked us right into a Fire Nation brigade?" asked Katara as she raised her eyebrow slyly at her brother.
Sokka looked back to his sister agitatedly as he continued to walk to the main harbor, "Yeah, and how I relied on my instincts to warn that small village of your crazy ex-boyfriend Jet's maniacal plan to destroy their homes?" said Sokka in an as-a-matter-of-fact attitude.
Katara nodded as she slightly rolled her eyes, knowing that there was no way that Sokka was going to be able to find Lee's place on his own, "Look, why don't the girls and I lead you to his place?" asked Katara as they finally made it to Toph's location.
Sokka humphed as he crossed his arms, "Fine, but if we get lost; it'll be all on you." finished Sokka accusingly as he stopped next to Toph.
Katara and Suki stopped in front of the blind earth bender; Katara taking a couple of steps closer as she looked around her surroundings, "Where's your date?" asked Katara curiously as she continued to skim through her surroundings, wondering if she somehow missed him standing somewhere.
Toph quickly answered the young water bender's question, "Not here yet; my date had to fix up some things back home and will meet us tonight when we all enter together." finished Toph blandly as she put her hands in her pockets.
Katara immediately noticed how Toph's face flushed and decided not to push the issue further; she smiled caringly at the earth bender as she placed her hand on her shoulders, "Can't wait to meet him." said an anticipated Katara.
Toph's face blushed a little more, "Yeah, that's what Twinkletoes said." said Toph.
Katara felt a bit shocked, the thought of seeing Aang again that very day finally hitting her thanks to Toph's innocently naïve reference as she swiftly pulled her hand back.
Suki noticed Katara's tension and immediately interceded in this somewhat awkward moment, "Well, let's get going then huh?" said Suki in an almost frighteningly happy tone as she grabbed hold of Katara's and Toph's neck, while the two young women smiled back at her.
As Suki let go of her lock on them, she immediately noticed something else that didn't seem right, "Uh, where are your bags?" asked Katara.
"We left them back in Zuko's palace. I mean, we didn't want to carry our heavy bags all the way to your boyfriend's house and then to Zuko's palace. Seems kind of silly if you ask me." said Sokka as he placed his hands on his hips.
Toph then bended another small stone, directing it on Sokka's head the same way she did earlier, "NNNAAAARRRGGHH!" yelled Sokka furiously as his face twisted in anger and charged towards the earth bender; but before he could even touch a strand of Toph's hair, she bended the earth that divided her and Sokka, lifting it up to about her height as it served as a barrier to Sokka's attack. Before Sokka could react, he crashed face first into the thick rock; stunned that he didn't see it coming as he fell back, landing on the ground below him as he whimpered in pain, "Why me?" asked Sokka aloud as his limbs slightly winced.
The young women giggled at the amusing sight; Suki lent her hand to him, "Sokka, you know better than that." said Suki as she lifted her fiancé from the ground, dusting the dirt away from his casual Water Tribe attire with her hands.
Toph pointed towards the direction of the Main Plaza, "Alright, we haven't got all day; let's get Katara's boyfriend so that we can get this whole brunch thing over with." said Toph nonchalantly.
Katara pushed her head back as she raised her eyebrow; "Brunch?" asked Katara curiously as she adjusted her weighty bag over her shoulder.
Sokka noticed Katara's struggle with her bag; deciding to take it from her and carry it himself while Katara gave her brother a thankful smile, "Yeah, Zuko said he wants to have brunch with all of us at noon." said Sokka as he smiled caringly at his younger sister.
Katara then thought of what Sokka just said, "All of us? So, Aang's going to be there?" asked Katara nervously as she bashfully placed her hands inside her pockets.
Sokka raised his eyebrow while Suki gave Toph a light nudge on the shoulder, "Of course he's going to be there; why wouldn't he be?" asked Sokka obliviously as he began to struggle with Katara's bag.
Katara nodded her head, trying to escape from all the negative mental images of Aang with his new girlfriend that were beginning to emerge from the depths of her mind, "I was just curious is all." finished a falsely disinterested Katara as she began to walk into the Plaza, pretending that she never asked the question in the first place.
Toph turned her head to Suki as if subconsciously letting her know to keep an eye on Katara throughout the day, just to be on the safe side. Suki nodded compliantly as they both began to follow the young water bender to Lee's house; Sokka trailing behind as he continued to struggle with Katara's hefty bag.
And the gang walked on, making their way through the huge multitude of people that once again crowded the entire Main Plaza.
Suki lightly nudged at Toph as she leaned towards her ear, covering her mouth so as to disguise her words, "Aang must be around somewhere." whispered Suki as Toph nodded agreeably; "We better get to Lee's place quickly before Katara catches glimpse of him, just in case." answered Toph as she pointed her thumb at the young water bender, who happened to be thinking the exact same thing, "Oh great, he's already here." thought Katara bitterly as the gang finally made their way past the enormous crowd and into the small cul-de-sac in which Lee's home was located in, spotting the small home the girls remembered from their last visit to the Fire Nation. Katara was the first to approach the door, knocking it with much gusto as she stepped back, giggling bubbly as she put her hands behind her back. Soon after, the door slowly opened to reveal Lee, who was obviously stricken with a very bad illness.
Everyone was taken aback by Lee's ghastly appearance, and somewhat frightened that what he had was contagious; especially a disgruntled Sokka, who was still struggling with Katara's bag as he walked towards his shocked sister. "This…is your boyfriend?" whispered Sokka to his younger sister as he grotesquely analyzed the young Fire Nation man standing by the door.
Katara frustratingly elbowed her brother in the gut, causing him to drop her bag as he cowered away in pain. She then turned her focus to Lee, who seemed to be suffering immensely from an obvious ailment and placed her hand on his shoulder; only to be stopped by Lee himself. "No, Katara please; don't come near me." suggested Lee as he gestured Katara to back away.
Katara was incredibly worried about him, examining every bit of his clammy skin, pigmented with what seemed to be jaundice, darkened, red eyes, greasy hair and the most obvious symptom, a rash on the side of his neck, "Lee, what happened?" asked a worried Katara as she reached her hand out to the young man, only for him to reject her once again.
"Katara; I'm very sick. The healer told me to stay away from all contact with anyone, including you." said Lee, painfully thinking that he won't be able to come near his lover until further notice.
Katara's eyes began to water, "B-but Lee, we were supposed to go to the Event together…" said Katara as her eyes began to swell in tears, worrying seriously about Lee's wellbeing. Lee's limbs twisted as he bent down awkwardly, balling his fist over his mouth as he let out a harsh cough. Katara looked on frightfully as he raised himself weakly to face her.
"I can't go with you Katara." said Lee disappointingly as his body slightly wobbled from side to side; trying to find the strength to explain to his lover why he won't be accompanying her that night to the Event they have both been so eagerly awaiting to attend, "Apparently I was bit by a mosquito that carried some sort of disease, it started with this rash in my neck here." continued Lee as he pointed to the giant rash on his neck, "Then it just escalated from there. I'm a lot better than I was last night, but my family healer advised that I stay in bed until I'm fully healed." explained Lee as his gaze flowed down to his lower side.
Katara didn't know what to say; she felt hurt, not for herself, but for the man standing weakly before her. She felt awful about the whole situation, and decided to try and remedy it, "I'll stay here, with you." said Katara determinedly as she worryingly gazed into Lee's ember colored eyes.
Suki, Toph and Sokka's jaw dropped at hearing her say those very words; Toph trying to clear her ears as if trying to make sure she heard right, "Katara, are you insane? He just said the disease is contagious!" yelled Toph as she tried to word some sense into her.
Suki couldn't agree more with Toph's sentiment as she walked towards the young water bender, "Katara, Toph is right; you need to come with us." said Suki as she placed her hand comfortingly on top of her friend's shoulder.
Sokka then made his way towards the two young women, placing his hand on Katara's free shoulder, "Yeah, you don't need a date to attend the party anyway; you'll hang out with us the whole night and we'll all have a great time." said Sokka comfortingly, clueless, but still comforting.
Katara looked at Suki, then at Sokka, her gaze finally landing on the one person whose opinion truly mattered about the situation. Lee simply smiled genuinely at the young woman, giving her his answer without speaking a single word.
Aang and Onji finally made their way past through the corridors, spotting Zuko waiting for them by the dining room door, wearing a long, casual red robe with the Fire Nation insignia on the upper left hand corner of his chest and his hair flowing freely from its usual royal style. Aang smiled graciously to the Fire Lord, and then turned his attention towards Onji as he gestured with his for her to follow him. Onji nodded compliantly as she grabbed hold of Aang's arm, pulling him closer to her as they both walked together towards the dining room doors, stopping to greet the Fire Lord. Onji was the first to break the ice between them, "Fire Lord Zuko, it truly is an honor to be in your presence." said Onji as she bowed her head submissively to Zuko. Zuko smiled at the kind gesture, "Please, you're amongst friends; just call me Zuko." said Zuko as he spread his arms kindly to the young Fire Nation woman. Onji lifted her head kindly to Zuko's selfless gesture; thinking to herself how wonderfully different Zuko is as ruler to the Fire Nation and to its people compared to the brutally oppressive leader his father once was; "Thank you…erm Zuko." said Onji as she giggled nervously, proving Zuko's generous offer to be something she has to get used to. Aang let out a half smile to the young woman that stood by his side; placing his hand on her shoulder lovingly, "Why don't you wait for us inside the dining room?" asked Aang as he lightly squeezed his lover's shoulder. Onji was very pleased with Aang's brief boldness, and waved her fingers charmingly to him as she walked away and into the dining room. As she walked in, she couldn't help but be in awe by the intricate designs that made up the enormous table cloth, made up of what seemed to be sheep fur died in a bold blood color; stretching to what seemed forever in the incredibly long table. The whole room was decorated in red, orange and yellow with traditional Fire Nation symbols hanging on banners throughout the walls, with the very end of the room being decorated by robes seemingly made by the finest satin. Onji's focus then turned to the chair she chose to sit in; a black chair with an elaborate design on its arm handles and a deep red cushion on its seat, along with a black Fire Nation symbol in its middle.
Zuko looked on as Onji took her seat, waiting until she was out of hearing distance to finally speak, "So that's her huh?" asked Zuko as he turned his attention to the young Avatar.
Aang nodded, "Yep, what do you think?" asked Aang as he eagerly waited for Zuko's response.
Zuko rubbed his chin with his finger and thumb, "Nice, very nice. She's a looker, but does she make you happy?" asked a serious Zuko as he raised his eyebrow curiously at Aang.
Aang smiled as he looked on at his lover, who happened to be observing the fine silverware placed before her seat, "Oh yeah; she has her moments, but she's great." said Aang.
Zuko nodded agreeably as he too continued to look on at the young woman, "So, any luck with, you know…." asked Zuko guiltily, knowing that the thought of his duty can make his friend uncomfortable at times.
But this time was different; Aang couldn't be more eager to answer Zuko's question as he proudly raised his chest, "I decided, tomorrow night, after the dance; I will make Onji mine." declared Aang boastfully.
Zuko's eyes widened, somewhat surprised to hear those very words come out of Aang's mouth, "Wow, really? You're sure about this?" asked Zuko skeptically.
Aang looked to his side, all of his quarrelsome thoughts, all of the constant hesitation, has led him to make this final decision, the decision that will affect the entire world and the continuous Avatar cycle, "Yes, this is my decision; I just have this feeling that tomorrow's the right day, almost as if a pull is tugging at my heart. It's sort of difficult to explain." said Aang as he placed his hand on his chest, "But I'm still a bit dodgy about how it all works, you know?" asked Aang quietly as he gestured with his eyes towards the middle of his pants.
Zuko couldn't help but giggle a bit at Aang's question, "Oh yeah I forgot you're still a virgin." continued Zuko as he put his arm around the young Avatar, "Come on, let's talk." said Zuko as he pulled Aang away from his position, forcing him to walk alongside Zuko into the deep, crimson corridors.
"So tell me Aang, what is it exactly that you need to know?" asked Zuko as he loosened his grip on Aang's neck.
Aang rubbed his sore neck as he gave Zuko a bashful smile, "Well, I'm pretty sure that the guy's…you know, and the girl's….you know….come together, but that's pretty much all I know. Is there anything else that I should know about?" asked Aang as he gazed down at his shoes embarrassingly.
Zuko placed his hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry; everything will happen naturally. Your instincts will let you know what to do and after you're done, you'll wonder why you were so nervous about it in the first place." continued Zuko as he let go of his grip on Aang's shoulder, "But there is a piece of information that I think you should know about." said Zuko cryptically.
Aang raised his eyebrow curiously, "What is it?" asked Aang.
Zuko began to blush a little bit himself as his thoughts ran rampant due to the touchy subject; proceeding to lower his voice so his words don't echo into unintended ears as he got a little closer to Aang's ear, "Well, there's something that every woman is born with, called a hymen; Some women still have it as they become adults, some don't. If you're lucky; Onji will still have it." said Zuko slyly as he parted from Aang's ear.
Aang squinted his eyes conspicuously, "What exactly is a hymen?" asked an unintentionally loud Aang.
Zuko flailed his arms around desperately as he shushed at the young Avatar, "Geez can you be any louder?" asked Zuko irritably as he lunged his face at Aang, intimidating even the Avatar with his somewhat menacing glare.
Aang innocently waved his hands apologetically as he chuckled nervously, "Sorry about that." said Aang as he relaxed himself.
Zuko also fixed his composure, getting back to their 'racy' subject, "So as I was saying, if you're lucky Onji will have it. It's what most people refer to as the woman's virginity, manifested in flesh. It looks more like a thin membrane, covering the opening of the woman's vagina." said Zuko as he turned to look at Aang's reaction to what he just told him.
Aang blushed profusely as his mind began to process this new information, "So…the hymen, do you…break it, with your, private area?" asked a flushed Aang.
Zuko was taken aback a bit by Aang's incredibly timid approach to the subject, but was more than happy to answer his old friend's concerns, "Yes, you break it, with your penis." said Zuko boldly.
Aang rolled his eyes as he casually rubbed his neck, a bit surprised by Zuko's daring answer; but he couldn't help but want to know more about it, so he proceeded with his questions, "So when you break it, what happens next?" asked Aang curiously, secretly desperate to know.
Zuko thought for a moment, then continued to answer Aang's question, "Well, when it breaks, something does happen; she bleeds." said Zuko bluntly.
Aang then became freaked out by the whole thing, "Wait a minute, she bleeds? Why?" asked a frightened Aang.
Zuko nodded his head and lightly chuckled, "Relax; it's all normal. When she bleeds, it means you took her virginity. It's only a small amount, and acts more like a symbol of your claim to her, and as you continue to thrust in her, the blood disappears." finished Zuko as he stopped to face his friend.
Aang noticed Zuko's halt and stopped as well, turning to face Zuko with a slight look of revulsion in his expression, "So, she'll bleed, a little bit, but she'll be ok, right?" asked a desperate Aang, not wanting to unintentionally hurt Onji during their first intimate moment.
Zuko gave Aang a sharp grin, "Oh yeah, she'll be fine. After it's all over and done with, she'll love it." said Zuko; quietly referencing to the first time he and Mai became intimate, how wonderful it was for him, and how amazing it was for her.
Aang thought about it for a moment, taking in every answer and advice that Zuko gave him and quickly got over his fears, "Thanks Zuko; you really shed some light into…this." said Aang as he grinned bashfully at the Fire Lord.
Zuko gestured the young Avatar to follow him back to the dining room, "Don't worry about it; now let's meet that girl of yours back in the dining room." said Zuko happily as he and Aang walked side by side back down the crimson corridors, "Besides, the others should be meeting us here any mi-." Before Zuko could finish his sentence as if he somehow willed them to appear, there stood the people he was just about to bring up; standing in front of the hall as they looked back at he and Aang walking towards them.
Aang's eyes immediately landed on one particular person amidst the small group as he and Zuko continued to walk towards them; the young woman with chocolate skin, long, dark hair, and eyes that rivaled even the bluest ocean.
"Katara" thought Aang to himself as he and Zuko finally made it to the foursome.
Zuko opened his arms welcomingly, "Alright, everyone's here." said Zuko, but hesitating a bit as he saw that Katara and Toph didn't have a particular person of their own to accompany them, "Uh, where's your date?" asked a perplexed Zuko as he pointed at Toph, "And yours?" asked Zuko as he pointed towards Katara's direction.
Toph was the first to answer his question, "My date won't be here until later on tonight." said Toph, who happened to take on the task of carrying Katara's bag as Sokka 'willingly' offered her the duty of doing so.
Zuko nodded compliantly as he turned to face Katara, "Well, what's your excuse?" asked Zuko blatantly.
Katara rubbed her arm embarrassingly, a bit hesitant to speak about the circumstances regarding Lee, "Well, it's a long story, but Lee's 'under the weather'" said Katara as she looked up into Zuko's ember colored eyes.
Suki then interceded, "Yeah, he's not feeling well at all, we all saw him personally and there was no way he would be able to attend the Event with us let alone attend brunch." explained Suki.
Sokka then decided to put his input on the whole situation, "Oh yeah; he looked totally gross and disgusting." said Sokka bluntly, earning himself a nice elbow to the chest by his fiancé; flinching in pain as he grabbed his chest, "What…is it with you and elbowing people!" asked Sokka angrily as he pointed his finger at Suki's face as she returned a sly grin back at him.
Aang's attention then shifted to the young water bender, noticing slight disappointment in her expression as her eyes wandered throughout the floor, holding her arms in a comforting embrace. He didn't want to see her so upset, so he came up with a plan, "Katara." said Aang as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
Katara's eyes followed from the shoulder that Aang rested his hand on, all the way up to his deep gray eyes, "Yeah?" asked Katara.
Aang smiled at the young water bender, "If you want, you can attend the Event by my side, so you won't be alone." suggested Aang caringly.
Katara was a bit taken aback by Aang's suggestion, but was pleased by his kind gesture; smiling at him with her eyes as he gazed kindly into hers as she was about to answer his question, that is, until Sokka intervened.
"Uh, no no no no no no no no no NO!" exclaimed Sokka as he marched towards the young Avatar, angrily pointing his finger at his chest as he gave him a most maniacal glare. "I don't think so; she's coming with US." exclaimed Sokka as he lunged into Aang's face and pointed his thumb to his chest angrily, forcing to Aang cower back so as to avoid accidentally bumping heads with his ex-brother in law, feeling gravely annoyed by Sokka's actions, "Okay okay, whatever." said Aang as he surrendered so as to avoid any conflict with the young Southern Water Tribe warrior.
Katara couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by what was unfolding before her eyes, and decided to quickly intervene as she squeezed in between them, dividing them both as she stretched her arms wide open, "How about we just all go together?" suggested Katara.
Aang looked at the young water bender curiously, a smile beginning to emanate from his mouth as he thought about her idea, "Yeah; that's a great idea!" said Aang as he made eye contact with every person in the group, "That way, no one will have to feel like a third wheel if they don't have a date." said a gullible Aang as he waited eagerly for everyone's response, only to be met with the angry and confused faces of the gang; especially the somewhat insulted expression of Katara, humphing at him as she crossed her arms agitatedly.
Aang's lit up expression soon turned dim as he realized that no one else wanted to back up the plan, especially Katara; that is, until he noticed Zuko nodding his head with a contemplative expression on his face, "Yeah, I really like that idea. Alright then, it's settled; we'll all go together as a group." declared Zuko as he pointed his finger into the air, "Now, can we please come into the dining room table and commence the brunch; all of this lollygagging is getting on my nerves." said an annoyed Zuko as he walked ahead of everyone else into the dining room.
Onji sat in her seat, eagerly awaiting her lover to come through the doors as she immediately noticed the Fire Lord entering the dining room. She finally spotted him, waving to him as she gestured him to come sit next to her. Aang soon noticed, and smiled at his lover in return as he proceeded to walk towards her, while Onji's focus soon turned to the beautiful young water bender that used to be Aang's girlfriend, taking a seat right across from her as if she did so as an act of mockery. Onji humphed at the sight of Katara, changing her focus to her approaching boyfriend as he finally made his way to her, pulling back the seat to her left.
"So, what took you guys so long?" asked Onji innocently.
Aang then sat down and faced his lover, his face slightly blushing at the thought of the conversation he and Zuko had earlier, "Uhh…nothing, nothing at all." said Aang as he nervously chuckled at Onji, "But, there have been a change of plans." continued Aang, a bit worried about how Onji's going to take the news.
Onji crossed her arms and shot Aang an aggravating look, "What is it?" asked Onji.
As soon as Aang was about to tell Onji the new plan, one of the maids serving the brunch shouted in a loud voice as she stood in front of the entrance, "YOUR LADY OF HONOR; FIRELADY MAI" yelled the maid as she stepped away from the door, bowing in respect to the young woman entering the dining room. The whole gang clapped as she walked in as Zuko stood from his seat; pulling the seat beside him back as his lover sat down, giving him a loving gaze as she did so.
As soon as everyone stopped clapping, Onji lightly tugged on Aang's robe and bent towards Aang's ear, "Aang, what is it that you need to tell me?" asked a very curious Onji.
Aang was very doubtful about this 'small change of plans' sitting well with his lover, but he knew he had to be honest with her, "Onji, the gang and I decided that we should all attend the Event together." declared Aang quietly.
Onji looked at Aang with a puzzled look, her calm and cool demeanor turning livid in less than a split second, "WHAT!" yelled Onji as she jumped out of her seat, slamming her hands on the table without a care of causing a disturbance for everyone else.
Everyone's attention turned to the couple, baffled and somewhat irritated by Onji's sudden outburst; Sokka happened to have his jaw wide open, about to eat some fancy pastries that were placed all around the table beforehand when Onji immediately caught his attention, causing him to drop his pastry back on his plate in shock by the enormous shriek that emanated from her. Toph and Sokka crossed their arms as they exchanged suspicious looks to each other; their focus turning to the immature young woman standing on the other side of the table. Katara simply raised her eyebrow as she shot Aang a confused look, while Aang's own eyes immediately landed on hers; his focus then changing to everyone else's, taking in the awkward reaction as he began to feel incredibly embarrassed by Onji's lack of manners. "Onji, relax!" demanded Aang quietly as he pulled on her arm as discretely as possible, gesturing her to take her seat. Onji humphed as she took her seat, crossing her arms and legs as she bent towards her lover, whispering at him angrily as they both continued to discuss the issue heatedly in secret from everyone else.
Sokka then turned to his lover, "Uh, who is that?" asked Sokka as he pointed at the young Fire Nation woman 'talking' to Aang, "She seems kind of familiar, but I don't know from where exactly." asked Sokka as he rubbed the small beard on is chin playfully.
Suki then whispered into Sokka's ear, answering his question with a whisper. And without hesitation, Sokka's eyes bulged wide open, while he himself responded with a similar reaction to what Onji displayed some moments ago; "WHAAAT!" yelled Sokka loudly as his voice echoed through the room; slamming his hands on the table as he stood from his seat, in shock of the news his fiancé just gave him. Everyone looked at the young Water Tribe warrior fearfully as they witnessed fumes emanating from his nostrils, his focus turning to Aang as his eyes burned with fury.
Aang caught sight of his ex-brother in law's piercing gaze, the thought just occurring to him, "Uh oh, he knows." thought Aang to himself as he began to cower away from the table; suspecting that Sokka might lunged from above it and attempt to attack him.
Sokka pointed his finger as he exposed his teeth, angrily grinding them as he was about to make his move, but just as he was about to do so, Zuko rose from his seat, "Sokka, sit down!" demanded Zuko, "I'm tired of these childish outburst! We're already behind schedule, so if you guys want a Fire Nation Event to get going then I suggest you eat with the vigor of a walrus-moose so we can get this done early!" yelled an irritated Zuko as he shot a menacing glare at both Sokka and Onji, while Mai tried to calm the Fire Lord down as she gently tugged on his robes. Finally, Zuko took a seat; continuing to eat the fruits and pastries that were previously served by his servants, while Mai rubbed his back consolably.
The gang nodded to the irked Fire Nation Leader; while they all looked at each other, as if trying to find some common ground in all of this. Aang turned his attention to Sokka, who just gave him a disappointing look as he continued to eat the pastries on his silverware, while Suki grabbed his shoulder lovingly. Aang couldn't help but feel like such a jerk about all of this, his attention then turned to Toph, who happened to be seemingly enjoying the whole drama that was unfolding on the table with a small smirk plastered on her face; almost as if she were subconsciously saying, "You brought this upon yourself." to the young Avatar. Finally, his focus turned to the ebony beauty sitting across from him, who just shrugged her shoulders up confusingly at him, clueless to the reasoning of all the commotion. Aang moved his silverware to the side; relaxing his hands on top of the mahogany table as he slammed his head on top of them, trying to manifest an answer to this catastrophe.
After a desperate search, Azula finally found a desolate part of town, "Perfect" thought Azula as she looked around for a source of reflection, finding it in a small puddle of water by the edge of a vast amount of vegetation. Azula took of her long cloak and began to poke holes through random parts of its sleeve, body and hood. She then took off her clothes, leaving nothing on but her undergarments as she began to partially destroyed her trousers and blouse; rubbing it in dirt as she began to partially tear the seams. After she was done, she put her clothing and cloak back on and concentrated on the small reflection of herself in the small water puddle. She pulled the hood of her cloak down and took down her messy bun; her locks cascading down as they gently landed on her upper back. She then took out a small vial with what seemed to contain oil from her cloak pocket, twisting its top off as she began to drip its contents onto her locks. As the oil continued to run down her scalp and hair and into her neck and shoulders, she ran towards the vegetation by the edge of the abandoned section of town and grabbed a handful of soil; bringing it back with her to the small puddle of water as she sat down and crossed her legs, making sure she had a good look at what she was trying to achieve. She took the handful of dirt and began to scrub it all into her hair; messing and teasing with her locks as she meshed the concoction onto her scalp. After about a minute of blending, she took the small remnants of the oil/dirt combination and passed it over her face, resembling war paint as she passed it over her eye lids and lips. She teased her crooked bangs a little more, combing it with her fingers in an upward motion before she finally ended the whole process; taking a step back to look in marvel at her creation, "Yes, yes; this is perfect. This'll fool even the most astute guardsman." said Azula to herself as she let out a maniacal cackle that emanated from within the abandoned homes and fields; the wind whistling through the atmosphere as night began to fall and fireworks of all colors and designs began to shoot into the air, signaling the beginning of the Fire Nation Event.
Toph was the first to come out of the many rooms Zuko lent to his friends to use for the night; wearing the simple ensemble she bought with Katara and Suki several months ago with a golden head band tucked in between her slick-back hairline and ponytail bump, along with the usual sole-less Fire Nation shoes she happened to 'personally' tailor herself. She waited in the hallway patiently as she relaxed her back onto the wall with her arms and legs crossed by Suki and Sokka's room; until finally, Suki and Sokka themselves came through the doors. Suki revealed the dress she also bought with the girls those many months ago, a beautiful, long, sleeveless green silk dress that hugged and accentuated every curve in her body with her usual low cut hairstyle; and Sokka, wearing his daring, signature Water Tribe warrior ensemble. Suki held her dress up so that she wouldn't trip over her flowing garment as she and Sokka walked towards the earth bender.
"You look nice." said Suki nervously.
Toph then pointed her thumb up, "Yeah; you guys 'look' nice too." said Toph as she gave the engaged couple a cheerful smile.
Suki and Sokka couldn't help but chuckle at Toph's insinuation, "Well take that as a compliment." said Sokka, "Is my sister out yet?" asked Sokka as his eyes darted around to find her.
Toph nodded her head, "Nope, not yet; but Twinkletoes and his girlfriend are." mentioned Toph as she pointed behind Suki and Sokka.
Sokka and Suki followed the direction of Toph's index finger and turned around to see Aang and Onji; standing on the other side of the hallway as they looked directly at the gang.
Aang was a bit nervous and gulped at the sight of Sokka; unsure whether or not he was still upset at him, but to his surprise, it was Sokka who gestured the two to come and joined them. Aang and Onji looked at each other; a bit apprehensive about meeting them, but unwilling to be rude to a welcoming gesture. Aang and Onji walked towards Toph, Suki and Sokka, who were still waiting for Katara to join them.
Suki, Sokka, and Toph analyzed the power couple. Aang had on a very similar outfit to the one he wore back several years ago when he and the gang tried to penetrate the Fire Nation defenses during the war; black, baggy pants, his monk robed hanging from his right shoulder, and Fire Nation boots. The gang's attention then turned to the Fire Nation woman next to him; she wore a very short, bright red dress with long, pointy sleeves, a common style in the Fire Nation, low cut neck and pointy, light red shoes and her usual bob hairstyle.
As the gang continued to stand there, looking around as they rubbed their arms randomly, Sokka decided he would be the first to break the awkward silence, "You look good my man." said Sokka as he pointed his fingers coolly at the young Avatar.
Aang bashfully chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck and smiled, "Thanks; you look good too." complimented Aang as he gestured to Sokka's outfit.
Sokka then slyly ran his hand over his slick back ponytail, "Yeah, but come on; I always look this good." mentioned Sokka conceitedly as he crossed his arms.
Suki shot an annoyed look at her fiancé, then focused on the main issue at hand, "Oh man, we better get out of here and meet Zuko in the Event hall or else we'll be late. Where's Katara?" asked Suki as she looked around for any sign of the Southern Water Tribe belle.
Sokka shrugged his shoulders, "She's a girl; girls ALWAYS take long getting ready." said Sokka in an as-a-matter-of-fact attitude.
Suki then shot another annoyed glare at Sokka; Sokka quickly taking notice as he waved his hands around defensively to his unhappy fiancé, "Or maybe-she's just not ready; her hair is pretty long so it must take a long time comb, heheh." chuckled Sokka nervously as he attempted to do damage control.
Toph quickly interceded into the conversation, "Well, it obviously doesn't take that long, because she's right behind us." said Toph as she pointed her thumb behind herself, Sokka and Suki.
Sokka, Suki and Toph moves out of the way as they turned around to meet the water bender, and were floored by her immense beauty. The dress was simply stunning on her, hugging every delicate curve in her body as it gently flowed down just above the knee while it's deep purple hue complimented her skin tone perfectly; along with a neckline that traveled down past her chest, just barely covered with an elegantly thin lace. She was also wearing the traditional Fire Nation bracelets and arm ring she wore when she and the gang disguised themselves amongst the Fire Nation people during the war, along with a simple, purple hair band that she placed in between he bangs and intricately styled long hair. Her makeup was simple, yet elegant, accentuating her deep, blue eyes and sweet smile.
Sokka's jaw dropped to his chest while Suki held her hands together eagerly, a cheesy smile plastered on her face as she gave Katara a nod of approval; Toph holding her thumb up as she gave Katara a devilish grin of her own. Katara lightly blushed at the positive criticism from her friends, relieved that she looks decent. Aang, on the other hand, was at a loss for words. He tried to pretend he didn't notice, but he just couldn't contain his eyes as they traveled up and down her dazzling figure; to him, all of her was just…irresistible.
Onji took notice of Aang's discrete watch on Katara, and immediately became incredibly frustrated. Aang realized his lover's discomfort and hastily snapped out of his ogle; grabbing her shoulder lovingly as he gave her a sweet smile of comfort. Onji smiled back at her lover as she grabbed his waist, pulling him near her so to let everyone know that he was hers and ONLY hers. She then shot a devilish glare at Katara, Katara remaining oblivious to it as she and her friends walked amongst themselves; "Ew, could she be any more of a whore?" thought Onji to herself as she put her other arm around Aang's waist, discretely squinting her eyes at the young water bender.
"Seriously Katara, can't you just put a shawl on or something!" pleaded Sokka desperately as he arched his back, arms dangling as if they were boneless.
Katara humphed as she crossed her arms, "No way! I'm a grown woman, which means I can wear whatever I want!" argued Katara as she frustratingly balled her fists to her sides.
"Sokka, get over it." said an annoyed Suki, "Besides, she looks wonderful; would you want to cover something as beautiful as this from the world?" finished Suki as she kindly gestured to Katara's ensemble.
Sokka turned his head to his fiancé, an agitated expression on his face, "YES!" yelled Sokka as he abnormally bent his fingers in anger by the sides of his head.
Suki then shot him a menacing look, feeling threatened by Sokka's outburst as she elbowed him in the gut, causing him to slightly bend his body in pain as he painfully grasped his stomach, "I…hate it….when you do that." said Sokka as he pointed his index finger to the air, while Suki emanated an accomplished smile as she cleverly glared at Sokka's wincing pain.
Out of nowhere, Aang involved himself into the conversation, "Um…shouldn't we get going?" insisted Aang.
That was when Katara finally took a good look at Aang. Her eyes traveled from his eyes to his chest, traveling all around it as she skimmed through the exposed half of his toned body; continuing to skim all the way down to his lower torso and finally ending at tip of his boots, "Wow, Aang…looks pretty good." thought Katara to herself as she took a deep breath, trying to control herself from gawking at Aang any longer, "Yeah, we better go." said Katara covertly.
Aang smiled compliantly at the young water bender with his eyes, "Alright then; let's go." said Aang.
And the gang took off, walking down the halls together in unison as they made their way to the entrance of the hall where the Event was taking place.
"There better be a lot of food in this Event, or I'll complain." said Sokka pompously as he and the gang continued to walk through the corridors.
Suki gave a sarcastic chuckle, "Oh yeah, who are you going to complain to?" asked Suki as she raised her eyebrow, eager to hear Sokka's answer.
"Zuko of course." answered Sokka as he and Suki exchanged competitive glares at one another.
"Alright ladies; we're here." said Toph as she pointed to the giant doors, fancifully designed with patters of flames made of gold, red and black. Toph took a couple of steps towards the doors and bended them open, revealing the enormous soiree already in motion.
The gang stood in awe at the breathtaking scene. The hall was enormous, drapes of colors so deep they rivaled the sunset itself surrounded and covered every shred of wall within the hall with a touch of gold glistening from each and every one; torches made of gold elaborately located in every corner as it's flames danced swiftly at every person who passed by it. Their eyes then landed on the most obvious part of the hall: The dance floor. The gang awed at the giant, black dance floor; its tiles glistened as if it were just coated with wax while young men and women danced senselessly (and sensuously) on it. The gang proceeded to enter the Event, their eyes skimming through their surroundings as they continued to walk inside. "The lights are pretty dim in here" pointed out Suki, while everyone with the exception of Toph nodded agreeably without taking their eyes off their surroundings. Aang noticed the small, black tables that surrounded the dance floor; also taking notice of the people that filled them. One table in particular caught his attention as he witnessed the people surrounding it inhaling from thin tubes that were connected to what he thought seemed to be a giant vase-like object. He then realized that every table had one of those strange vase-type objects with people sucking from every one of them, "What the heck is going on here?" asked Aang suspiciously as he observed the attendants exhaling from the vase-type object; giggling illogically after they exhaled what looked like smoke. Katara continued to skim around, noticing the many people inside; young people around their age, dancing, laughing, eating and drinking merrily at the sounds of the drums and ritualistic song. "Iroh told me there would be young people, but I didn't think this much." said Katara quietly to herself as she continued to analyze the many people dancing passionately with one another as if they were all physically connected somehow; men and women all overlapped on one another as they grabbed each other's limbs sensuously, moving in harmony with the beat of the drums. The gang then stopped when they reached the edge of the dance floor, spotting the Fire Lord and Fire Lady on the other side; both sitting on a relatively large, round, table on the hall's highest balcony.
Zuko immediately spotted the group, and gestured them to come up through the back stairs and meet them in their private balcony. Aang waved, signaling he got his message as he turned to face his friends, "Okay guys, we'll go up those stairs and we'll meet Zuko up in his balcony." shouted Aang over the semi loud tribal sounds that bounced off the walls as the live band continued their melodic song, pointing to the pathway located to the right of the hall. The gang nodded as they followed Aang's lead; going up a small flight of stairs as they passed some stupefied people who happened to be giggling and chuckling uncontrollably, while the others they passed were fervently lip locked with one another, holding each other eagerly as if ready to be intimate right on the stairs.
After reaching the top of the stairs, they finally reached the Fire Lord's balcony, opening the door to reveal Zuko and Mai, sitting alone in a rather large, round, marble black table, "What took you guys so long?" asked Zuko from his seat, a bit agitated by his friend's tardiness, but glad they were there nonetheless.
Aang and the gang looked at the Fire Lord and Fire Lady's attire, noticing they were wearing their best Royal attire; while Aang attention immediately bolted to the same giant vase-type object he saw on all the other tables below on top of Zuko's, with 10 tubes coming out of its middle, "One for each of us." thought Aang to himself tensely as he turned his attention back to Zuko. The gang then proceeded to walk towards the giant table to meet their hosts; but before they could take their seats, they were interrupted by Zuko.
"No, not yet." said Zuko as he held his hand up in prohibition.
Everyone raised their eyebrows at one another, baffled as they questioned their friend's judgment. Zuko and Mai got up from their seats and approached the group, "We need to have a portrait first, a portrait of all of us together. For memories." said Zuko as he unexpectedly grinned at everyone, "Follow me." said Zuko as he gestured his friends to follow him behind the curtain of their balcony. The gang was apprehensive; nonetheless, they followed Zuko and his lover to the back of the curtain that divided his balcony and a hidden room. As they walked through the thick veil, they immediately noticed the strong smell of what seemed to be paint; of course, this was immediately answered, as the room was indeed revealed to be a painting room, along with professional painter sitting in the middle of the very end of the room. The painter looked to be in his 40's; round with slight grays covering his short, dark hair as he wore a painter's gown over his attire, smiling pleasingly at the group as he picked up a pointed brush with its tip already dipped in black paint, ready to place it on the canvas in front of him.
Zuko stepped forward, "I'm ready for you to paint us." said Zuko kindly as he bowed in respect to the painter.
The painter bowed in return; It is an honor to paint the Fire Lord himself along with his wife, the Avatar and his friends." said the painter kindly as he gestured the gang to take their places in front of him.
As everyone walked towards the painter, Aang looked around; seeming to notice that something, or someone, was missing. He looked at the gang, realizing that earth bending member of their group was nowhere to be found. He looked around desperately, "Where's Toph?" asked a concerned Aang as he continued to skim around.
The gang also took notice; looking around their surroundings to find that their earth bending friend was indeed missing, "I don't know; she was next to me when we were making our way up the stairs." said Katara as she too began to help Aang look for their missing friend. Then Zuko, Mai, Sokka and Onji followed along as they continued to look around the room for any sign of Toph.
Suki decided to join in the search as well, "That's strange." said Suki as she made her way to the back curtain and look for her there, but just as she was about to cross to the balcony, she was startled by the very person she and her friends have been searching desperately for, "Hey." said Toph as she waved at everyone in the room.
The whole gang stopped looking in their tracks, coming to the realization that their blind earth bending friend was finally found, "Where were you Toph? We were worried sick!" asked an annoyed Sokka as he flung his fists down to her sides.
Toph then puckered her face as she lovingly grasped her hands together "Aww you were worried sick about me Sokka? That's sweet." mentioned Toph sarcastically as she pout her lip, making Sokka growl in frustration as he grumbled his way back to Suki's side.
"Where were you Toph?" asked Aang.
Toph slightly blush, a bit afraid by how her friends are going to react to her date, but buckled her knees together and found the courage and strength to reveal to everyone, her date.
"Everyone, meet my date-" said Toph as she held her hand open for her date to come in.
Everyone waited eagerly for the young man, but to everyone's amazement, the person that walked through the curtain…was a woman.
"Mana." said Toph as she put her hand lovingly on her date's shoulder.
Everyone's jaw dropped to the ground as they fell back over sheer shock of seeing Toph's date, a beautiful young woman with fair skin, incredibly long hair that was half tied in a traditional Earth Kingdom style, petite frame and dark eyes; her dress was a typical green with long, dangling sleeves and kimono type tie around its waist. But the way the woman looked or how she was dress was the least of everyone's concerns. A woman? Toph has always been the butchy type of girl, but the gang never EVER expected her to go 'that way', especially Aang; as he immediately recognized the young woman to be Toph's maid whom he met many months ago when he was sent off to give her Zuko's message. He along with the entire gang was shocked by the sudden surprise, but it was also he who also stepped forward to meet the young woman. Mana was a bit hesitant to Aang's approach, not knowing what exactly the Avatar was up to.
Aang finally reached Mana and held out his hand to her, "It's nice to see you again." said Aang kindly as he gave her a comforting smile.
Mana hesitated to take his hand, but then saw everyone's expression turn positive as they all smiled caringly to the young woman. Mana let out a small smile, her timorousness melting away as she began to slightly relax within the group; she took Aang's hand, "It's good to see you too Avatar." said Mana humbly.
Aang chuckled, "Please, call me Aang." suggested Aang caringly as he released his grip on the young woman's hand, "So, we were getting ready to get our portrait painted, care to join us?" asked Aang as he gestured to the group, who already placed themselves on their positions with their backs turned to the painter, waiting for Toph and her date to join them.
Mana nodded agreeably, "I'd be honored, uh...Aang." said Mana as she lightly giggled at the thought of calling the Avatar by his name, grabbing Toph's arm as they both made their way towards the group, positioning themselves to the far left side of the gang as they all turned around to meet the painter.
And the order went accordingly: To the far right was Mana, Toph and Suki; Sokka, Katara and Aang occupied the middle, and Onji, Zuko and Mai took the spots to the far right. As the gang gently squeezed together for their portrait, Onji couldn't help but notice how incredibly close her lover was to Katara. She wasn't going to make it seem like it was he and Katara that were together in the portrait, so she stuck her chest a little closer to him so as to make it seem she's his date and not Katara. Aang didn't pay any mind to Onji's intentions, remaining oblivious to it as he kept his focus towards the painter. The whole gang crossed their arms over one another's back, with the exception of Zuko and Mai who were a little father off on their own little romantic world, and Suki, who placed her hand over Mana's shoulder.
After about half an hour, the painter was done with the sketch, "All done." said the painter as he revealed an incredibly life like portrait of the gang, sketched accordingly to what they were doing as he sketched them.
Zuko took the portrait from the painter and bowed in gratefulness, "Thank you very much." said Zuko as he rose to meet the painter face to face.
"No problem." said the painter as he got up from his stool to stretch his limbs, letting out a giant sigh as he relaxed his limbs, "Yeah, I just need to open up that door and continue doing portraits; going to be a fun night for me." chuckled the painter excitedly as he walked towards a door located on the far left hand corner of the room, opening it to reveal a giant line of young adults waiting to get their portraits done as he grinned happily at the sight.
Sokka raised his eyebrow, "Now that's someone who really enjoys his job." said Sokka in an irritatingly sarcastic voice; Suki tugging at his ear in response as she pulled him away from the paint room and back to the balcony while he yelped in pain, "OOWWW!" yelled Sokka as he and Suki disappeared from everyone's sight.
Zuko then showed the remaining gang the portrait; all awing in amazement at how intricate it looked. Onji was the first to point out her favorite part of the portrait, the part of her and Aang, "Oh honey, don't we just look great together?" asked Onji as she shot a menacing glare at Katara, grabbing his waist as he brought him closer to her. Katara's eyes immediately shot up to meet Onji's; immediately catching the innuendo as she looked deep into Onji's ember colors eyes; both women with their eyes locked as if they were battling for the object of their affections subconsciously. Katara then snapped out of it, noticing Onji's evil stare directed towards her; she rolled her eyes at Onji's silly and immature notions as she walked back into the balcony to meet Sokka and Suki.
Aang remained oblivious to the tension, as he was busy admiring the portrait in front of him. He noticed that of his friends looked great painted, but he knew the best looking person in the whole portrait was none other than Katara. His eyes skimmed her picture, losing himself in his thoughts as he continued to contemplate on how beautiful she looks tonight.
"Aang?" asked Onji as she slightly shook her lover by the arm.
Aang immediately snapped out of his daydream, "H-huh?" asked Aang as he turned to face his desperate lover.
"Don't we look good together?" asked Onji as she lovingly stared into Aang's eyes.
Aang smiled as he grabbed hold of Onji's shoulder, lightly shaking her as he slightly bent down to meet her face, "Yes, we look good together." said Aang as he pecked Onji on the lips.
Onji was very pleased with his gesture as she grabbed a tighter hold onto Aang's waist; resting her head on his chest as he continued to look into the portrait of Katara, gazing into its eyes as if it were the real thing, "yeah" whispered Aang.
Toph then pulled her date's waist close to her, "Well I don't know about you guys, but I think the best looking people in the whole portrait was Mana and me." said Toph boastfully as she let out a huge grin, causing Mana to giggle as she lovingly placed her arm around Toph's neck; making their way out of the painter's room to meet Sokka, Suki and Katara on the other side of the curtain.
Soon after, Aang, Onji, Zuko and Mai made their way out of the painter's room and back into the balcony, where the rest of the gang was waiting to join them. Zuko sat down on the far end of the round table as he took one final look at the portrait before placing it down on a small table located by his seat. The rest of the gang looked on as Mai sat down next to her lover, following suit as they all took a seat on the empty chairs that surrounded the marble table. Their eyes were then fixated on the large jar-type instrument sitting right in the middle of the table, Fire Nation markings and symbols etched in black all over its blood red surface as pipes for each and every one of them stuck out of its middle. The gang looked at each other nervously as they began to wonder what exactly the instrument was for; Aang being the first to break the slight tension.
"Uh, Zuko; what's….this?" asked Aang as he timidly pointed at the enormous, strange looking instrument.
Zuko and Mai looked at each other cleverly as they chuckled slyly at Aang's question; "This Aang is called a Féng." answered Zuko kindly as he gently squeezed Mai's thigh, causing her to chuckle in response, "And its purpose is to give you what's inside." said Zuko cryptically, a grin still plastered on his face.
Aang raised his eyebrow suspiciously, while the whole gang looked on; waiting for Aang to continue speaking for them, "Ok, well, what's in it?" asked Aang curiously.
Zuko looked at the young Avatar, nodding his head as if annoyed with his question; reaching into his robe pocket as he searched for the answer to Aang's question. His fingers finally found what he was looking for, and he proceeded to pull out and show the entire gang what looked like a crumbled parchment-like plant with fuzz all over it; deep, yellow strands entangled around and through it.
The whole gang looked in amazement by what Zuko was holding, while Zuko smirked at all of them as he held the plant with his index and middle finger into the air, "This…is not your father's synthesized cactus juice." continued Zuko as his eyes traveled around the table; the gang still looking both nervously and excitedly at the plant Zuko was holding, "This little plant is called Dàmá; It's a plant that is almost rare to find in any nation due to its controversial history; but, if used responsibly, can give you the deepest and most meaningful enlightenment you've ever had." continued Zuko as his focus turned to Aang, who was listening attentively to his explanation, "With the exception of you Aang." said Zuko as he smirked at the young Avatar; Aang returning the gesture. "It can also help you relax, solve problems, even lighten your mood. Now you may be asking yourselves how exactly you will benefit from this little plant." continued Zuko as his focus turned to Katara, "That's simple, I will load this plant into this short tube back here." said Zuko as he tapped on the small tube he was referencing, "You don't need to worry about the process; all you have to do is inhale it's smoke while I light it up. Although this is a big Féng, we will all inhale at the same time which means we won't have to worry about inhaling air." continued Zuko as he turned his attention to Sokka, "All I'm asking you tonight is to relax and let your body accustom itself to its effects, and enjoy it; because believe me you will." finished Zuko enigmatically.
The gang looked at one another, feeling a bit strange about smoking some strange substance they've never heard of, but they didn't travel so far just to chicken out of what seems to be an intriguing experience, so they all nodded at Zuko, agreeing to embark on this unknown territory.
Zuko smiled at the whole gang, "Thank you for taking on the experience with Mai and me; now I'm going to ask you to take the tube in front of you and place it in your mouth." asked Zuko kindly as Mai placed her mouth on the tube in front of her; the gang followed suit as they pressed their mouths onto the soft, rubbery mouth piece that covered the actual ceramic tube.
Zuko then raised his middle and index finger, "Now I'm going to light it up; when I say go, I want you all to inhale all at once, not too hard though, or you'll hurt your lungs. Inhale slowly and try to keep the smoke in as much as possible, and then simply exhale." explained Zuko.
The gang simply looked at one another, while Toph held her thumb up in the air, giving Zuko the ok to proceed while Sokka and Suki looked at each other with the corner of their eyes. Onji's hands began to tremble while Aang shot a quick glance at his lover sitting next to him, placing his hand consolably on top of her jittery ones.
Without warning, Zuko pointed into the short tube where he put the small bud, flames emanating from his fingers as he lit the bud and closed it's top, "Now wait for it…" said Zuko as he himself waited for the right time to inhale, keeping his eyes on the red, transparent surface as he observed the smoke fill its half-empty center, "Almost there…" said Zuko as his eyes followed the smoke flow upwards, Aang catching a quick glimpse of Katara, her mouth tightly wrapped around the pipe's rubbery piece before the smoke finally reached its end; hitting the inner top surface of the Féng.
"Now!" exclaimed Zuko, and just as Zuko said those words, the whole gang slowly inhaled the smoke contained inside. They all felt the light burning sensation in their esophagus as the smoke traveled into their lungs, holding it inside as they were instructed to do so. They all looked at each other with full mouths, containing the smoke within them as they exchanged glances. Sokka was the first to exhale, lightly coughing out the smoke from his lungs as his tongue hung out tiredly. Onji was the next one to respond to the smoke, bending down as she lightly coughed the smoke out of her lungs, slightly heaving as if gasping for air. Suki followed suit, blowing the smoke out smoothly like a pro as she slightly grinned proudly. Toph blew out her smoke like a pro as well, making circles with her puffs as she exhaled the smoke from her lungs, followed by a skilled Mana, who happened to overlap her bottom lip with her top lip as she blew the smoke out of her mouth. Zuko and Mai blew their smoke out together, smiling lovingly into each other's eyes as they exhaled every bit of smoke from their lungs as they leaned towards each other in a desirable embrace. As Onji and Sokka continued to cough the smoke out of their lungs, Aang glanced at Katara, who happened to be glancing back at him; Aang held his fingers up, counting from 1 to 3 as he gestured Katara to blow out. As soon as he held his third finger up, He and Katara blew their smoke in unison, making a whirlwind of smoke that twisted within itself and hovered over the bong; disappearing into nothingness as it emanated a smell of smoke and flowers all throughout the balcony.
Without warning, something happened, or should I say, 'hit' the gang. There was all of a sudden a feeling of tranquility that blanketed them all. All of their worries, their fears, began to disappear; Aang's eyes became heavy lidded as his eye whites became slightly tinged in pink, Katara's own eyes following suit as they both began to smile at each other idiotically. The rest of the gang followed suit, feeling the similar feeling of pointless happiness that Aang and Katara were feeling.
"Wow….." said Aang as he observed his surroundings with a whole new sense of understanding.
Katara giggled stupidly at Aang's words, "I know right?" said Katara as she squint her heavy lidded eyes.
Aang laughed ridiculously, "Yea!" exclaimed Aang as he lightly placed his hand on top of the table.
Toph and Mana looked towards one another as they relaxed in their high, "Pfft, lightweights." said Toph as Mana nodded agreeably, laying on top of Toph's chest as Toph wrapped her arms around her petite maid.
Zuko and Mai seemed to be very humored by the sight of the two exes giggling with each other, while Suki tried to console her fiancé who was just beginning to succumb to the smoke's effects. Sokka raised his head to meat everyone, a cheesy grin plastered on his face as he looked at his surroundings; then looked at Aang and Katara, who happened to be looking at the same thing he was looking at. He let out a cackle as he slammed his hand on his leg, "You guys see it too right?" asked Sokka as he continued to cackle irrationally. Katara and Aang looked at each other, then looked at Sokka; their mouths slightly open as they gave Sokka a stupidly slow nod in agreement.
As the whole gang succumbed to their high, they couldn't help but feel incredibly relaxed, like all was right in the war; almost as if there was never anything wrong with it to begin with.
As the gang enjoyed their high, Mai leaned in closer to Zuko's ear, whispering seductively as she placed her hand on his chest, "Zuko, I want us to...expand the family." whispered Mai as she looked longingly into her lover's eyes, desperately waiting for his response.
Zuko's eyes widened in excitement as he turned to face his lover below him, shock by what he just heard come out of Mai's mouth; this is exactly what he's wanted to hear from her for such a long time, and it's finally happening; but unfortunately, she had to ask in a densely social setting. Zuko looked at his lover seductively, "Mai; there nothing that I want more…but-" Zuko hesitated as he saw Mai's face change from desire to revulsion in less than a second. As Mai began to back away, eyes beginning to swell in tears, Zuko quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her face close to his, "Let's get out of here." whispered Zuko as he raised his eyebrow alluringly. Mai's expression of deep disappointment soon melted away from her; a look of eagerness replacing it as she wiped the tears from her swollen eyes, her eyes darting from Zuko's eyes to his moist, soft lips in desperation, "Let's do this." said Mai as she lightly grabbed Zuko's thigh. Zuko smiled fervently to Mai's seductive gesture, and proceeded to get up from his seat with his lady in hand.
Everyone looked dumbly as the Royal couple stood from their seats, "Where are you guys going?" asked a slowly cognitive Suki.
Mai and Zuko looked at each other, then looked at the high ridden group in front of them, "Don't look for us." said Zuko as he grabbed Mai's waist, making his hand down her bottom. Mai slightly jumped at the gesture, hungry for more as she pulled Zuko away from the gang; the hot couple then made their way down the balcony stairs, running through the dance hall as they passed through the hall doors, disappearing from sight as the doors behind them closed.
Everyone looked down at Zuko and Mai's disappearing act, perplexed about the whole situation, "How-How did they dooo that?" asked Aang as he held onto the balcony railings.
Sokka nodded continuously as he answered Aang's question, "Ieeee…..don't know….." answered Sokka stupidly as he relaxed back on his chair, relaxing in the midst of the peak of his high.
As Aang continued to look down, he heard a groan emanating from next to him; he raised his eyebrow as he curiously turned his head to see Onji, still in the same fetal position she was in on her chair when she forcefully exhaled the smoke earlier. Aang's eyes widened in worry as he saw his lover in discomfort, lending his arms on her as he rubbed her back, "Onji, Onji are you alright?" asked a very concerned Aang.
Onji barely had any energy within her as she tightly held her stomach, nodding in disagreement as she looked up at Aang, "I feel like I'm going to vomit." said Onji.
Mana immediately stepped in, "Don't worry guys, she's ok; this sometimes happens to people that smoke Dama. She probably took in a bit hit is all." said Mana as she gently rubbed the miserable Fire Nation woman's shoulder. Katara simply looked on as everyone tried to comfort; truly hoping she was alright. She rose from her seat and approached her ex lover's new girlfriend, bending down so that she was face to face with her, "Hey, I can accompany you to the ladies' room if you want." asked Katara kindly as she smiled comfortingly to the young woman. Aang's focus turned to the young water bender, almost in disbelief by what he just heard; smiling caringly at Katara as she selflessly lent her hand out to his new girlfriend.
Onji, on the other hand, wasn't so amused; she raised her head with a menacing glare to her eye as she clenched her stomach in pain, "I…don't….need….your or anyone else's help!" exclaimed a very serious Onji as she got up from her seat, pushing her way past the gang as she proceeded to walk downstairs and find a restroom, trying to fight the gagging reflexes that were hitting her like waves as she placed her hand over her mouth. Aang looked on in horror as Onji just walked away from him, genuinely worried about her as he watched her struggle to go down the stairs; he got up and walked towards her, lending his hand in assistance, only to be met with resistance, as she pushed his hand away angrily, shooting a deadly glare at him as she continued to go down the stairs and disappear from sight.
Toph raised her eyebrow in frustration as she let out a sarcastic chuckle, "Heh wow, some catch you got there Twinkletoes." said Toph as she pointed her thumb to the direction Onji took off to.
Aang looked down to his shoes, the high prohibiting him from even caring about Onji's irrational outburst at his friends, and himself. He turned around to face his friends, who were looking at him curiously to see what he'll do next, only to their surprise, see him walk right back to his seat, indifferent about the situation as he places his mouth on the tube in front of him, gesturing his friends to take another hit with him and forget about the whole thing. All he wanted was to have a good time with his friends; because after tonight who knows when will be the next time he'll see them again, and he wasn't about to let Onji get in the way of his good time with her usual immature temper tantrums. They all sat in their spots as Aang tried to imitate what Zuko did before; taking the top off the small tube that contained the bud as he shot fire from his middle and index finger, lighting the plant as he tightly closed the tube to keep the smoke from coming out. He held his finger up, gesturing everyone to hold on and wait until the smoke hit the top of the Féng; when it finally did, he gestured with his finger to his friends to inhale the smoke within. Aang, along with everyone else, took another hit. The only thing the smoke did was sustain their already incredibly high, and they began to giggle and chuckle at one another happily and senselessly as the sweet smoke emanated from the balcony and into the main hall.
Meanwhile, in the outer gate of the Fire Nation Palace, Azula stood and waited for the right opportunity to stop the shindig that was occurring inside its walls; completely in character as she faked a limp leg as if helpless towards a small group of teenagers who happened to be loitering by the main gate.
"This is my chance" said Azula as she devilishly eyes the group of teens, eying one particular member of the group as she insinuated him to be the leader. She limped towards the group of teens awkwardly as she maniacally smiled within the shadow of her hooded cloak.
After a couple of minutes of laughter and nonsense, the gang finally calmed down from the peak of their high, leaving their bodies exhausted, especially Sokka; who happened to fall fast asleep on the table as drool leaked out of his mouth. Suki ran her fingers gently through her fiance's hair as he slightly curled his arms comfortingly under his head so as so have a more comfortable nap. Toph and Mana took off to the dance floor and enjoy every inch of their high dancing the night away; which left only Aang and Katara, alone and without their intended dates.
Katara looked up at Aang, "Onji hasn't come back yet." pointed out Katara as she looked down to the main hall, hoping to find any sign of the irritable Fire Nation woman, but to no avail.
Aang crossed his arms as he looked into the table, "Pftt, yeah; she usually disappears when she's angry with me. Since she hasn't come back yet I'm assuming she's sulking in the house." mentioned Aang as he lightly chuckled at the thought; his high highly influencing every word that came out of his mouth.
Katara nodded her head, "Why is she so angry?" asked Katara quietly.
Aang looked up at Katara and stared deep into her eyes, knowing very well that he couldn't answer that question to her, "Don't know." said Aang as he shrugged his shoulders up.
Katara nodded her head slowly as she slammed her hands onto her thighs, "Well, I'm not going to stand around here; I'm going to join them on the dance floor." said Katara as she pointed to Toph and Mana dancing together on the smooth surfaced floor. She then got up from her seat and adjusted her dress, walking down the stairs as she finally made her way to the middle of the dance floor.
Suki and Aang looked at each other as they tried to contemplate Katara's strange behavior, especially considering the fact that Lee couldn't attend the Event alongside her; you'd think she'd be somewhat lonely or upset, but on the contrary, she was having the time of her life. As soon as Katara made it to the dance floor, the live entertainment made an announcement, "Alright everybody now listen up; I want you to grab your partner and even if you don't have a partner I want you to get on this dance floor because we're going to do a passionate drum number, so don't you miss this one and remember that fire is an element of passion as well as life." said the main drummer coolly and swiftly as he took a seat back behind his drum, signaling to his fellow band members to start off on his mark. Aang looked over the balcony to see Katara, standing alone on the dance floor; watching on intriguingly as the southern Water Tribe beauty waited eagerly awaited for the band to begin.
Just then, the main drummer made a loud shout as he slammed his hands onto his drums; the other members of the band following suit as sounds of bongos and congas echoed through the hall, melodious horns and chant songs being sung as the multitude of people on the dance floor began to move in harmony to the tune being played by the live band.
Aang's eyes were fixed on Katara, who began to sway her hips from side to side, moving her body like a snake as she danced in unison to the beat of the drums. He continued to watch on as she danced alone, but with confidence; thrusting her hips almost sensually as the tempo of the music began to pick up. Aang looked on dreamily as he continued to witness Katara's body twist around in a seductive manner, "I didn't know she danced like this." thought Aang to himself as he continued to watch Katara wind her waste round and round as she held the back of her hair up to her head, in awe and mesmerized by her alluring hip jerks. He felt as if he was losing all sense of reality as he continued to watch her rotate her hips to the air, guiltily wishing he were that empty space behind her; and then it hit him, "It's only dancing, what harm could it do?" thought Aang to himself as he tried to rationalize his desires; swiftly getting up from his seat as he placed his feet on the top of the balcony railings. Suki's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as he saw Aang soar from the balcony railings; she ran towards the young Avatar, somehow hoping that she would catch him while airborne, but to no avail. Aang landed gracefully onto the side of the dance floor; his concentration still fixed on Katara and only Katara as he proceeded to walk slowly towards the ebony beauty, and still watching her move her body in such a way that it felt as if it were mystically calling to his own with her winds and thrusts.
Zuko and Mai were making out ferociously as Zuko untied her bindings; Mai untying her hair as it elegantly cascaded down her back while Zuko grabbed her waist, pulling him close to her so as to feel her naked frame on his own bare chest. Zuko then picked up his lover by her legs, gently placing her on top of their enormously elegant king sized bed; highly decorated with a black tent top and oak pillars holding it in its place as pink drapes descended gracefully from the tip of the tent top. Zuko took a step back as he desperately skimmed his eyes over her exposed body, both nervous and excited about this new journey that he and Mai are about to embark on as he began to undo the tie to his pants. He then climbed onto the bed, Mai hastily pulling down her lover's trousers and undergarments, exposing the long, rock hard member in between Zuko's thighs that throbbed to be within her depths. They then continued to lock lips as Zuko balanced himself with one hand and explored his lover's bare breasts with his free hand; Mai releasing an eager moan as he continued to caress and tease her nipple with his thumb.
Aang continued to walk towards the captivating woman he's had his eyes on since she began dancing; almost as if he were in some sort of spell while Katara unsuspectingly continued to move to the beat of the tribal drums. Aang proceeded to come closer and closer, almost able to feel the softness of her skin and tenderness of her waist until finally, he made it to the focus of his hidden desires; simply standing there as he hypnotically continued to watch Katara sway her body. Not wanting to disturb her moment, he slowly approached her, gently placing his hands on her waist so as not to startle her. Just as Katara was truly getting into her dance, a grab to her waist startled her. She stopped moving as she turned around to face the stranger who has his hands on her, only to find out that it wasn't no stranger, but Aang; smiling handsomely to the young water bender.
Katara was baffled by Aang's actions, "What's he doing?" asked a perplexed Katara to herself as she skimmed her eyes from his hands on her waist, to his incredibly entrancing, deep gray eyes.
Aang didn't take his eyes off of hers, as he bent down to her ear and whispered, "Keep going." to Katara.
Katara shivered as she felt Aang's breath gently flow down past her neck and to her shoulder; she knew that this had the potential of leading to a position that she didn't want to be in, but she couldn't resist the offer. After all, they were friends, what harm can dancing possibly do amongst two old friends? So she nodded agreeably as she and Aang locked eyes and slowly began to move her hips; Aang followed suit as he pressed closer to her swinging frame, beginning to move with Katara's flow as the speed of the drums continued on steadily. The dance started innocently enough, as Aang kept a soft grip on Katara's waist; but as he continued to watch Katara wind just several inches away from him, something in him snapped, causing all rationality to fly out of his consciousness as he succumbed to her alluring spell. Slowly, he began to tighten his grip on the young water bender's waist, bringing himself closer to her sways as he continued to desperately watch her body thrust back and forth with vigor. Katara noticed Aang's change of pace, and willingly succumbed to his gesture; pressing her bottom in between his thighs as she began to heavily wind her hips. Aang's eyes became heavy lidded with passion as he pressed his thighs closer to Katara's bottom; her eyes becoming heavy with pleasure at every brush he gave her as they moved their bodies in unison to the musical beats that continued to be played vigorously by the live entertainment. Suki's eyes nearly came out of their sockets as she began to bite her nails while she turned her attention to a sleeping Sokka, hoping and mentally praying that her fiancé wouldn't wake up from his nap in time to catch the sight of his sister dancing rather closely with her ex-boyfriend.
"So, you got the money?" asked the curled lip leader of the group of teenagers greedily as he disgustingly looked at the cloaked stranger from top to bottom.
Azula nodded, unwilling to expose her face as she took from her pocket a small, torn bag filled with gold pieces.
The scrawny teenager snatched the bag away from her, suspiciously looking at what seemed to be an average hobo woman while his focus then turned to the small bag that was given to him. He opened it up as his eyes became luminous by the gold pieces' shiny exterior.
Azula smirked cleverly under her hood as she continued to witness her plan unfold.
Mai and Zuko unlocked lips as they lightly gasped for air, Mai staring lovingly into Zuko's lustful, ember eyes, "Zuko, take me..." begged the Fire Lady quietly as the strummed her finger on his lower lip. Zuko nodded desperately as he grabbed hold of the shaft of his member, finding the entrance to her most intimate area; hungrily aligning its tip with the soft skin that stuck out of her entry as he began to slowly penetrate through her moist walls. Mai couldn't resist as she gazed deep into her lover's eyes while her own became heavily lidded in the sheer ecstasy of being one with him; arching her neck as she let out an overwhelming moan while her arms curled onto Zuko's neck and back.
Aang felt himself spiraling out of control; loosing himself in what seemed to be a dream, but knew was a reality. He knew that they were surrounded by Fire Nation strangers in the middle of a huge dance platform, but all he saw was Katara, slithering her bottom up and down his inner thighs as she continuously gained the upper hand on Aang's rational thought. As they continued to dance sensually in harmony, moving their bodies together in a wave form, Aang began to smooth his right hand down her arm, causing an overwhelming sensation to emanate from between Katara's thighs. He was desperate to bring her closer to him, to get just one feel of her body on his, as he gently lifted her hand into the air; descending his hand sensuously over her arm as he made his way back onto her waist. Katara closed her eyes dreamily as she began to reminisce of the first time she and Aang ever danced; it was in a cave with the old gang and a classroom of children around their age, surrounding them as they awed at the amazing display of moves and style she and Aang presented to the young children. But she knew that this dance was very different; a far cry from the innocent show she and Aang put on those many years ago, no, this was very different. The ambiance of the entire hall was also different; whereas before the dancing was purely innocent and childish, to now; where everyone on the dance floor seemed too entranced by their own passions. Men, women, even same sex partners such as Mana and Toph were in as deep into their desires as much as she was as they danced and moved with such commanding sexuality that it almost seemed natural; almost like breathing. She too felt the sexual tension emanating from within her as Aang continued to harmoniously brush himself on her curvaceous thighs; Katara guiltily harboring in her heart the hope that this moment would never stop. Sweat began to lightly drip down from the two friends as their dancing became more and more energetic and powerful, leaving Katara almost weakened by the incredible sensations that were coursing within her at every brush Aang gave her; while Aang lustfully looked on at the ebony beauty's weakness, longingly watching her as she continued her serpent-like form while her hips continued to move in unison with his own. He proceeded to move his right hand a little further down to her inner thigh, lightly squeezing her as he brought her close to the point that she was practically leaning on him. The signals his sudden gesture sent through Katara were so intense that she felt that all of the sensations that were going through her body would somehow overflow and spew out of her, while Aang was simply enjoying the feel of Katara's marvelous body on his own; almost unconscious by the sensations that were traveling from his veins to his lower extremities as he took in her seductive scent. Just then, Katara felt it; a large bulge pressing in between her bottom. She let out a light moan as Aang rubbed himself on her backside, completely enthralled in his hunger for her as they continued to dance harmoniously with the crowd.
Zuko continued to lock lips with his lover as he positioned himself comfortably over her, thrusting deeply and quickly within her as he felt his peak about to be reached. She moaned continuously with every push Zuko made; loving her continuously as sweat began to drip down his neck and chin, falling on Mai's milky skin as her breasts bounced in harmony with his continuous love.
The young teenager and his gang snuck right past the gates, gold coins in hand, and into the main Palace hall, opening their mouths wide as they took in a deep breath, ready to make the boldest announcement of their juvenile lives.
Zuko continued to thrust deeply and forcefully into his lover as Mai moaned in immaculate pleasure, gripping the sheets below her as her focus remained deep in her lover's eyes. Sweat continued to drip down Zuko's chest and forehead as he began to feel the culmination of their moment approach, "Mai" whispered Zuko dreamily as he felt himself on the verge of climaxing inside the woman who occupied his heart and soul. Finally, without hesitation, he let out a loud grunt as he succumbed to the intense feeling in between his legs; semen shooting inside his Fire Lady as he pressed his member as deep as he could go within her.
The drums, guitar, and folkloric song began to slow down, suddenly coming into an abrupt end as an eruption of applause derived from the entire hall; congratulating the live band for its amazing performance. The two friends stopped in their spots; their bodies still entwined as if they were somehow fused together. Katara relaxed her arm down to her side as she tried to recover from what to her seemed like a lucid dream, while Aang struggled to mentally control his stimulated member. Katara then backed away from the young Avatar, turning to face him for the first time since they began dancing together as she stared dreamily into his deep gray eyes; Aang returning the gesture, almost as if they were trying to tell each other something important with their mutual gaze. But all of a sudden, their moment was cut short when an enormous scream echoed from within the Fire Palace corridors.
"AZULA'S HEEEEERRREEEEE! AZULA'S BEEN SPOTTED!" yelled the group of teenage boys harmoniously as they began to run rampant and wild into the hall.
Everyone in the hall looked at each other fearfully and confusingly; still in the dark over the whole Azula-escape fiasco. But even then, no one wanted to take any chances, and mass panic set in.
The whole gang looked on in horror as the massive amount of young people ran amuck the hall; knocking silverware, féngs, tables and ornaments over as they desperately tried to squeeze through the hall doors and escape with their lives. Aang looked on in alarm as he began to see people jump and walk over the people who were stuck between the hall entrance; deciding to take action and immediately resolve this. He shot Katara a determined look, "Katara, go get the rest of the gang and get out of here." said Aang demandingly as he looked at the young water bender with worried eyes. Katara's eyes gleamed at the young Avatar, feeling troubled by the thought of Azula walking amongst them freely without anyone knowing exactly where she is; she nodded compliantly as she ran up the stairs and into the balcony, Mana and Toph following right behind her as the three finally made their way up to Suki and a still-napping Sokka.
Suki got up from her seat swiftly with an angry expression on her face, crossing her arms to the young water bender as she nodded disappointingly at her. Katara looked on at Suki's discouragement, knowing very well why Suki was feeling this way about her. She bowed her face down so as so not face her, "Suki, I-"
Katara's explanation was immediately cut off by Suki, "Don't worry about it, what's going on?" asked a concerned Suki.
Katara brought her face up to the former Kioshi warrior, "Azula; she's been spotted. We need to leave now." declared Katara with a fearful look in her eyes.
Toph then interceded, "But what about our things? They're still in our guest rooms." mentioned Toph as she placed her hands in her pockets.
Katara balled her fists in fury at the blind earth bender's earthly concerns, "Toph, it's your choice; your life or your things." said Katara cryptically as she shot a menacing glare at Toph.
Toph was taken aback by Katara's blunt remark as she lightly cowered back, "I choose life." said Toph boastfully as she pointed to herself with her thumb.
Suki then walked towards her fiancé who was still fast asleep on top of the marble table, shaking him voraciously, "Sokka? Sokka!" yelled Suki as she tried to get a reaction from the young Southern Water Tribe Warrior.
Sokka stirred as he opened his eyes wide, immediately placing himself in defense mode as he gave everyone a paranoid stare, "Are we under attack?" yelled Sokka as he took out his blade conveniently located on the back of his waist band.
Suki walked towards the suspicious Sokka until she was completely face to face with him, "We will be if we don't get out of here." said Suki as she pulled Sokka down the stairs while Katara, Toph and Mana followed suit. They made their way down the stairs to spot Aang, positioning himself in an attacking stance as he fancifully moved his arms and pushed towards the cluttered door; his powerful air bending abilities to prominent that it sent every person that was stuck in between the hall doors flying off into the entrance to the Fire Nation Palace. Aang then relaxed his stance as he looked back at the now empty and destroyed hall, with the exception of the gang behind him, waiting for their next instruction.
Aang became furious with their hesitation to leave as he balled his right fist and pointed to the open hall doors to the side, "What the heck are you guys waiting for? GET OUT OF HERE!" yelled Aang in a loud yet strangely caring voice as he continued to gesture his friends to leave the Palace.
The entire gang was somewhat frightened by Aang's demanding gesture, but knew that he only had their best interest at heart, and proceeded to leave the hall and head towards the Palace entrance. Katara took one last look at the young Avatar, making eye contact with her ex-lover before she along with the rest of the gang disappeared into the fleeting crowd of people and guards trying desperately to restore order.
Aang looked on as his friends blended in with the crowd, "Alright Azula; I'm ready for you." said Aang quietly to himself as he took off to Zuko's main sleeping quarters. When he got there, he knocked dramatically at the intricate doors, but when he didn't get an answer; thoughts began to run through his head, "Oh man, what if he's in trouble? I can't just stand here and do nothing!" thought Aang to himself as he came to the conclusion to force the doors open himself.
And he did just that, catching the sight of a startled Zuko and Mai; laying intimately within one another's embrace underneath their satin sheets with an expression of exhaustion on their faces.
Zuko looked on angrily at the young Avatar, "Aang, what the heck are you doing?" asked Zuko commandingly as he pointed to the door, "Get out of here!" yelled Zuko angrily as a vein emanated from the side of his forehead.
Aang was incredibly embarrassed by having walked in Zuko and Mai's intimate moment; his face blushing as he stood in their most intimate presence, but he knew that this was an issue that couldn't wait, "Your sister's been spotted." said Aang.
Mai got up from her relaxed state as she held the sheets over her exposed chest, "What? Here?" asked Mai.
Aang nodded agreeably with a stern look in his eyes, but just as Zuko and Mai were about to make their way out to get dressed; a guard came into the Fire Lord and Fire Lady's sleeping quarters, holding what seemed to be a scrawny looking teenager with a curve on his bottom lip, "False alarm your highness; apparently this kid was paid to give everyone in your party a scare." said the guardsman as he chuckled at the thought, shaking the teen as if trying to force all of the answers out of him.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise and relief, while Zuko slammed his hand onto his knee, "Tell me, who paid you to do this?" demanded Zuko angrily.
The teen shuddered at the sound of Zuko's loud voice, "I-I-I don't kn-kn-know, some bum in the street." answered the teenager as he cowered his face from the many eyes that lay on top of him.
Aang looked on suspiciously at the young man as he analyzed his fearful demeanor, wondering discretely if the whole situation truly was a false alarm.
Katara, Toph, Mana, Suki and Sokka were all huddled together in the harbor, as each of them made their way to the ship that led them back to their own homes. Suki and Sokka boarded the rather small, blue ship with a Water Tribe symbol on its side, while Toph and Mana made their way to the rather large Earth Kingdom ship with an Earth Kingdom flag hovering proudly over the captain's quarters. And finally, Katara made her way back into the ship whose destination would take her back to the small Tea Shop she calls home. Katara waved goodbye to her friends and family as her ship was the first to set sail into the muggy night, thoughts of what occurred in the Fire Nation Event running rampantly through her head like a runaway train. She let out a small sigh as she walked down the main deck to find a comfortable place to rest, "It was no big deal; just a friendly dance." said a desperate Katara, quietly trying to convince herself that the dance between her and Aang was strictly platonic and nothing more.
But, unbeknownst to her, another stranger occupied the deck as well, a hobo-woman with a ragged cloak, her body stretched onto the ground in a fetal position as her eyes darted to the water bender.
"Gotcha" thought Azula to herself as she grinned malevolently and excitedly; her eyes following Katara as she watched her pick a spot on the other side of the main deck to rest, looking on as she made herself comfortably and laid herself to rest for the night.
Stay Tuned…
And here are the links to your surprise:
http :/ img30. imageshack. us/img30/3323/65188786. jpg
http :/ img225. imageshack. us/img225/5567/15part2. jpg
*Please bring the spaces together after you copy and paste the link on the browser or else it won't take you to my gift for you all. I've always been known to be a sloppy shader, but I like sloppy sometimes, and I hope you do too :]*