A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates. This chapter and the next are sort of connected by plot, and this one's pretty sugary sweet. Just a fair warning. Have fun.

Over the River

Tyara: Ty LeexKatara

The storm had come more quickly than either party anticipated. It swept across the lowland plains with such force that entire trees were uprooted and homes were flattened and flooded. The rain made it so easy to be separated from a group that it was no surprise that nearly a dozen people wandered the Hung La forest with looks of confusion.

Night would soon be falling, and laying on the sharp rocks of the bank of the Hung La River was Ty Lee.

She had been tossed from Azula's war balloon early in the gusts of wind, and found herself lucky to be alive and coherent on the ground. She had no idea what happened to Azula, Mai, or the two nameless soldiers that had traveled with her.

She arched her back, trying to move from her crumpled position under the sheets of rain. A look at her knees and palms revealed more blood than she was used to seeing. Ty Lee twisted again, yelping slightly, and realized that her back was deeply cut as well.

The rocks, she thought. I landed on the rocks.

It was dark when she started crying. The rain and tears washed down her face as she contemplated being alone in the forest.

Not so far away, Katara curled under a rock, picking twigs and pebbles out of her hair. Appa had thrown his riders after nearly being struck by lighting during the storm. The last thing she heard on her descent was her brother screaming her name, but she blacked out when she slammed into a layer of thick trees.

Now she could see a dark shape move occasionally by the river. It scared her to think that it might be an animal, but long moments of staring revealed a well-defined human body. A small girl, in fact.

"Toph?" She whispered, poking her head under the rain. She stumbled to the person, stepping gently on the rocks to protect her feet. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw that it was not her Earthbender friend.

The acrobat, Azula's ally, flinched at Katara's appearance and tried to drag herself away. Katara watched her shiver and pant, soaking her clothes with more rain and blood. The Waterbender thought she looked like a wounded animal.

"Stop moving," she said. "We need to get you off the rocks."

Ty Lee whimpered, but offered no resistance when Katara lifted her up and half-carried her to the overhanging rock shelter. She set her down, bending the rain out of their clothes, and formed a water sphere in her fingers.

Ty Lee cringed again, imagining her Water Whip, but Katara said, "I'm going to heal you. Don't worry; it won't hurt."

Her hands were cold from the weather, but soothing to Ty Lee, who had still not spoken. She was almost asleep when a crack of thunder startled her awake again. Katara was almost finished, having only Ty Lee's knee to still fix.

The Fire Nation girl closed her eyes again and whispered, "I don't want to fight you when I'm better, so I'll just leave if that's alright with you."

Katara removed her hands, having finished her task, and pressed them together for warmth. "We don't need fight. And you should stay out of the rain. You're still shivering."

"Azula would want us to fight, even though you helped me," she said sadly.

Katara sat next to her, "Azula isn't here. So I guess we're not fighting."

Ty Lee closed her mouth to stop her teeth from chattering. She surveyed the tall Waterbender and wondered if she was always this good-hearted. Azula would never help an enemy, after all, but she had heard this girl speak to her friends with gentle words and deep concern. It was a whole new world for Ty Lee, who had been routinely abused by the people she trusted. She shivered violently.

Katara scooted closer. "Your name is Ty Lee, right? I'm Katara from the Southern Water Tribe."

"Hi," said Ty Lee, beginning to smile. "Thanks for helping me. I landed on the rocks pretty hard."

Katara chuckled, "I noticed that. Does anything still hurt?"

Shaking her head, Ty Lee said, "No, I'm just cold."

The Waterbender slid right next to Ty Lee, pressing their arms and legs together. She said, "In the South Pole it gets pretty cold at night. Sometimes it's easier to sleep with someone warm than be alone and freezing. Well, that's what my mother used to say." Her eyes glazed over a bit, as if she were trying to remember something from a long time ago.

Ty Lee said cheerily, "Your mother was a smart woman then. I'm warmer already!"

Katara smiled back, almost forgetting that she was pressed against a Fire Nation soldier. She said, "I remember we used to play this game that Sokka hated. He's my brother."

Ty Lee remembered him, thinking indistinctly that Katara was much prettier than he was.

"My mom and dad would give me kisses because it would make me laugh. I think it was to warm me up though. Sokka didn't want to act like a baby, so he would always blush and try to get away, but my mom would kiss him anyway," she sighed. "It was a fun game and I guess I never realized it was for warmth until now."

The rain poured loudly against their rock, but the girls stayed silent for several minutes.

Katara shivered.

Snuggling closer, Ty Lee said, "I'm still cold too."

She rested her mouth on Katara's shoulder. She was a bit surprised by the overwhelming urge she had to kiss the healer. Her lips met the dark skin very gently and lingered, washing warm breath on her arm.

Ty Lee asked, "Are you warmer?"

Katara turned to face her and planted a soft kiss on her lips. She replied, "Are you?"

They blushed together in the dark. Ty Lee nuzzled her cheek against Katara's neck as she moved even closer together.

"We can just play the kissing game until we're warm," said Ty Lee. She kissed her lips until Katara pressed back, leaning forward. They wrapped their arms around each other, kissing more deeply and suddenly not minding the cold air around them.

They laced fingers sometime in the night while Ty Lee used Katara's arms as a blanket. The Waterbender said, "I don't think the kissing game normally works that way."

"I like our version better, but I bet your brother won't," Ty Lee giggled. Katara laughed with her, trying not to think about seeing her brother tomorrow. They passed the stormy night, kissing occasionally, until dawn woke them.

The sky was cloudy, and Sokka and Aang wandered beneath it, calling for the female members of their party. They came across Katara, still beneath the rock, smiling dazedly at the Hung La forest.

They didn't see Ty Lee running through the trees, half-wishing she could have stayed with her enemy.

xxxxx

A/N: Get ready for some Tophzula next. And maybe a mudfight. Read and review!