We Make You Crazy

Aang couldn't find Katara all throughout Yu Yan Zavung's serenade, which made for an increasingly anxious search. He did wind up figuring out Mai's whereabouts, although that was hardly an accomplishment, since they were announced to the whole ship once Zavung had finished.

"Hello! I'm Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors, and with me is Mai of the Fire Nation. You might know her as one of the Fire Nation's best warriors, Fire Lord Zuko's future Royal Consort, or just The Gloomy Girl Who Sighs A Lot."

"Let it be known that I'm here under duress."

"Isn't she funny? Mai and I worked together to compose a song earlier today, and now we'd like to perform it for you. Please feel free to share any feedback with us afterward. Thank you!"

"I swear, if the fact that I'm singing gets off this airship, I will hunt the traitor down and cut them, no matter who they are. Especially you, Toph."

Aang couldn't help but smile, and forget the urgency of his quest for a moment. Suki took up the song first, and it proved to be a very fast-paced piece of music. The basic gist of the lyrics was that the singer was an especially attractive girl who was pursued so frequently and so intently by all the boys she encountered, that she learned to take pleasure in teasing and denying them. Aang personally couldn't say he approved of such behavior, having been on the Unrequited side of a crush for a while, but the lyrics were too amusing and silly to take them seriously. Mai took over for the second verse, and while Suki's part was bouncier and filled with jokes, Mai's was quicker and more deadpan. The deeper-voiced girl played a second character, who was equally as beautiful as the first girl but not at all interested in dating, and the more honest disinterest she expressed, the more the boys pursued her.

Aang couldn't help but wonder what inspired the girls to compose this song. That's when he nearly bumped into Katara. Specifically, her rear end.

"Oh!"

"Ah!"

"Aang!"

"Hi!"

"Sorry, I was... um..."

"Dancing to Suki and Mai's song?"

"Yes!"

"Ah."

"Yeah."

"That was... a different kind of dancing than I've seen you do before."

"Oh. Really. Because I was dancing completely normally. Really."

"So you normally shake your-"

"No! I mean... um, well, I was kind of getting into the song, and no one was around..."

"It's okay. I thought you looked good."

"Oh..."

"..."

"Thanks..."

"Sure..."

The two were left staring at each other while the music played on. Suki took over for Mai, and went on to sing about all the ridiculous gifts she got from her various admirers.

Aang smiled at Katara. "So, care to dance?"

Katara's own grin answered him. "Sure."

"Dance like you were when I found you?"

"Oh really?"

"I can keep up."

Katara gave Aang that look, the one Aang earned whenever he was at his most flirtatious. "Good, because I'm going to be too busy to worry about your feet."

Then she began moving.

Aang joined her.

The pair had danced before, at that Dance Party Aang had masterminded, back when they first visited/invaded the Fire Nation. Of course, the "dancing" had really been improvised from a Waterbending practice form they had both learned from Master Pakku, but hadn't been any less impressive a performance for it. This time, though, Aang and Katara were only dancing for each other.

They played a game.

Katara started it, the way she swayed and twisted her body. Aang found himself moving closer to her as he jived to the music, and Katara didn't dance away, but she seemed to be controlling her writhing so that while she came close to touching Aang, she never actually made contact. Aang challenged her by taking another step closer, and Katara temporarily retreated, before coming back to once again come just short of touching. She moved like a wave on a beach, and Aang was the sand eager to absorb to the sea.

Aang blushed as he decided that sounded vaguely dirty.

Mai once again took over, and she was singing so fast that Aang couldn't keep up with the lyrics and Katara's dancing at the same time. Somehow, though, Aang appreciated that, because it let him focus on how smoky Mai's voice could be when she let it. It was an appropriate accompaniment to the way Katara was moving.

The dancing and the music continued without slowing, but as with all things, eventually reached an ending. Just as Suki and Mai crooned the last lines together, Aang burst forward and captured Katara in his arms. "Looks like I caught the girl I was pursuing."

Katara snorted with amusement. "Good job. I've only been shaking here, waiting for you."

"Just like with riding Koi fish, chasing is half the fun!"

Katara burst out laughing at that, and Aang joined her. He let go, and they sank to the floor, sitting side by side. Ignoring the next musical broadcast, Aang took a deep breath and said something that he had been building up towards ever since Katara had arrived on The White Dragon. "I'm sorry I made you go after Sokka alone."

Katara sighed and leaned against him. "No, you're not."

"Um?"

"You had to go after Zuko, and you were right. Just like I was right to go after Sokka."

"So, then..."

She turned to stare him in the eyes. "Aang, sometimes we're going to be called in different directions. So long as we're always willing to go catch each other later, I don't see a problem."

The Avatar considered that, smiled, and nodded. "That sounds fair."

"Of course. I'm always right."

"Uh..."

"Good boy."

To Be Continued...