A/N The couple of reviews I received really made my morning. For this prompt I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Originally, I was going to reference the Chinese Legend that was likely the actual inspiration behind it. Instead I decided to do something different and take it in a more literal sense so I wouldn't misrepresent another culture. I hope you enjoy Day 2, please let me know what you think and thank you for reading x

Saving Split Seams

When Sokka arrived home from a trip into the Ember Island Village Market holding the crotch of his only pair of red pants and Suki, clearly irritated, by his side, Katara was almost reluctant to ask what happened.

All Suki said was that those gigglers were lucky she didn't have her fan with her at the time and so was Sokka.

Katara knew it would be unwise to push the subject.

It was only that afternoon when the garment showed up, strewn unceremoniously over her pillow, that Katara decided she was determined for answers.

"Sokka what is this?"

"Those are my pants."

"So why were they on MY bed?" The fabric balls in her clenching fist.

"Because, there is a hole in them," He says it like it's obvious and no big deal and goes back to lounging, tracing his fingers across his boomerang.

"I don't see how a split seam made them magically transport themselves into my room." He's either totally oblivious or ignoring her sharpening tone and unnaturally widened eyes.

"It didn't. I threw them in there."

"Why does it have to be my responsibility to fix your pants? I'm your sister."

"Well I asked Suki and she started yelling at me about being her a warrior…"

"I'm a warrior too Sokka."

"Yes, you're formidable with a needle and thread."

Katara scowls at him and Sokka realises he's lucky his sister isn't a firebender otherwise his garment would be up in flames by now.

"Calm down Katara, I was kidding."

It's too late, she's stormed out of the room. Dinner, she decides, will be vegetarian as a punishment. Serves Sokka right for being a lazy chauvinist.

While beginning preparations for a vegetable and rice stir fry Suki comes in, sees the trousers on the table and asks a flat "Oh, he gave them to you too?" rolling her eyes. She then reveals that the stitches gave way while he was showing off his deep lunges to a gaggle of very giggly local girls.

Katara decides they're going vegetarian for the rest of the week. He clearly has a lesson to learn.

The girls quietly discuss the injustice of it all as they slice vegetables.

"You know if I wasn't here I doubt they'd eat at all. They wouldn't cook anything!"

"They certainly wouldn't do laundry…"

"Can you imagine how bad they'd smell?"

They laugh and Katara gets a wok from the cupboard.

"I'll have you know, my Uncle taught me to cook some things." Katara almost drops the pan in surprise.

There's Zuko, the ever stealthy. He tries to sound confident but his voice falters a little.

"Is that so?" Katara smirks at him

"Well he wanted to make sure I could survive if we were…separated."

"Is your cooking better than your tea making?" She quips; Suki hides a snicker as she finishes slicing. Zuko blushes and reaches for the wok, lighting the stove with his fire bending.

"It isn't as good as yours… or uncles. But it's enough to live off."

"That's probably more than Sokka could say," Suki interjects as the benders start to cook the stir fry. "He'd no doubt poison himself." She laughed to herself, "He'd end up asking the 'Giant Friendly Mushroom' to join him for his meal. Man, I'm so glad you told me that story". Katara laughed and told a confused looking Zuko she'd explain it later. The Kyoshi warrior left them to finish up, "I need to ignore Sokka from a closer proximity so he'll apologise. It looks like dinner might be punishment enough but just in case I'll go hide his jerky stash." She smiles wickedly at her friends then sashayed out.

"What did Sokka do this time?" Zuko inquires quirking an eyebrow as Katara seasons the meal.

"He tore his pants in town and expected Suki then myself to mend them for him."

The flames under the wok were reflecting in her blue eyes. Zuko looks sympathetically at her, toying with the idea of putting a comforting hand on her shoulder and then awkwardly aborting that mission instead stating simply,

"He's an idiot."

They finish cooking in comfortable silence.

After dinner, of which enjoyed to the soundtrack of Sokka's grumbling about the lack of animal products, Zuko and Katara did the dishes and then resigned to the steps outside overlooking where Aang was washing Appa in the ocean not too far away and Toph was practising her sand sculpting now that the medium was no longer blindingly hot under her feet. Sokka and Suki were off somewhere in the house "making up". The sun was beginning to set, creating long shadows and a golden wash across the skies.

"So what are you going to do about Sokka's pants? Not that it's your responsibility, because it isn't. I'm only asking because you still have them…"

A slight smile turns the corners of her mouth as she watches him grow red and flustered. "Funny to think I was scared of him once… now we all know his true identity as a total dork" she thinks to herself before replying.

"I'm not sure yet"

"Well in that case… maybe I can do it."

Her jaw drops, "you SEW?"

He's blushing hard now, praying to the Fire Gods that it's masked by the sunset…

It's not.

"Not very well, but maybe you could teach me…"

"You're going to be Fire Lord, why would you need to sew?"

"You're an amazing warrior why do you need to sew? When you're injured you tend the wound, when clothing tears you fix the hole. We win this war and we have to do that for the whole world. Uncle tried to teach me to sew while we were refugees in the Earth Kingdom but I said it was beneath me after I ran out of patience threading the needle. If I become Fire Lord I want to be able to recognise the skill involved in the everyday tasks my servants do that I took for granted… I want to learn humility… patience…"

"That's sweet Zuko. I think you'll make a great Fire Lord." He looks at her, the blush is still there but he's smiling now. "I can't turn down an offer like that. Especially when it benefits me,"

With that they go inside. She gets her old sewing things and realises she only has white thread which would be quite obvious. Zuko brightens then leads her to an old supply closet and a spool of red string.

They settle in the sitting room and as she patiently guides him through the process, encouraging him, he tells her about how he first found out about the cupboard as a child when Azula tore a sleeve off his favourite shirt, before she'd become actually mean and take over the world-y. His mother had sewn it back on for him in the very room they are in.

He recalls the cherry blossom print on the nightgown that she put on him while she fixed his top and the way it smelt like vanilla and nutmeg.

"I was really young then. I remember saying to her that she could fix anything with that needle and thread… I only hope that I was right… maybe bits of unenjoyable, painstaking work with the right tools could fix all of the problems in the world."

Katara smiles at him. When he shows her his finished product she tells him it's great. They stay up and talk a bit longer, Aang and Toph have long since gone to bed. They finally turn in rather late after hours exchanging stories about their mothers and growing up. Once the drowsy fire bender goes to bed Katara neatens Zuko's attempt a bit but is generally quite impressed with his effort, especially since it's practically his first time. She thinks about the furrow of his brow when he was concentrating and the way his eyes would light up when he made a nice stitch or spoke of his mother and the deeper values of his people. She envelopes herself in the expensive sheets and before falling asleep, in a hazy state, she thinks about how great a team they are. He's come so far and grown so much. Alone he can stitch up the rift in the world, end the war. Still it really helps that he has her (and their friends too) to neaten the edges, smooth out the rough patches and encourage him to keep trying.