Would you believe that it has been over a year since I posted the first chapter to this story? lol funny how time flies by like that. I originally wanted to post this last weekend but I was busy with my cousin's wedding and some family drama. Seeing how much you all love this story motivates me to keep going. The reviews you all leave me mean a lot. I only hope that I can meet your expectations for this story.
The next morning Aang woke up with a smile on his face. His date with Kano lifted his spirit and he looked forward to seeing her again. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to wait too long to see her again. Luckily, Kano gave Momo a note to pass to Aang. She told her friends about the Jasmine Dragon and they agreed to stop by today. He was elated and couldn't wait to see her along with Sato and Suna. The time was still too early for his friends to wake up so he began his morning by meditating. Kano kept popping up in his mind when he closed his eyes, but he didn't mind it too much. He remembered the feeling of her red lips pressed against his forehead. The air bender secretly wished they had kissed like they had before. Maybe he would get that chance eventually.
After meditating for an hour, Aang went into the bathroom to freshen up. Before he started his usual routine he looked to the mirror and noticed something out of the ordinary. On his tattooed forehead was a red lipstick smudge. He blushed as he remembered Kano's kiss once again.
'I just know Sokka and Toph will tease me if he sees it.' He turned the faucet and rinsed the lipstick stain away.
After freshening up, Aang made his way to the kitchen table where everyone except Iroh sat. "Good morning", he greeted them and they replied with their own morning greetings. As Aang picked up his breakfast, Sokka spoke up.
"So Aang…How was your date last night?"
The air bender expected he would have to hear questions from his friends. "It was swell. We both had a really good time."
"So swell that you decided to bring her home and keep the date going in the bedroom?" Sokka teased. Both Suki and Katara smacked his head for behind. The attack slamming his face down on the table.
"What's wrong with you?!" Suki cried out.
"He's barely fourteen years old Sokka!" Katara scolded. Toph deciding she didn't want to miss out on the action, kicked his leg under the table.
"OW! Toph why?!" Sokka whined.
Toph shrugged, "I wanted to hit you too"
"You can be so unbelievably immature Sokka" Katara remarked, picking up her dishes and going to the sink to wash.
Aang laughed at the treatment Sokka received from the girls. He then decided that he would answer his question. "It was nothing like that. Kano decided that she wanted to walk me home instead of having me walk her back to her hotel."
"Kano? That name sounds familiar" Suki said.
"I've told you about her before. I met her Lu Rane village three months after I left the fire nation."
"Hold up! Is this the same water bender you trained and had a heavy make-out session with?" Toph asked with a smirk. Katara's eyes went wide and she stopped washing her plate. 'A heavy WHAT?!' Suki watched her from the corner of her eye and saw her reaction.
"That's her but I wouldn't say that I had a heavy make-out session with her" Aang blushed as he sat down at the table.
"Ahhh of course, cuz shoving your tongue in her mouth isn't what you do when you're kissing someone." Toph chuckled. Aang groaned as he took a bite out of his pear. Katara began scrubbing her plate faster, she couldn't believe what she had just heard.
"So why did she walk you home? It's the guy that is supposed to walk the girl home after a date" Sokka said, rubbing the back of his head where his sister and girlfriend smacked.
"I said the same thing to her" Aang chuckled, "Kano isn't the type to follow typical gender stereotypes."
"She sounds like my kind of girl" Toph replied. Suki nodded her head in agreement.
"I think you all would like Kano. Maybe I can introduce her to you guys since she's coming by with her friends later on today." Aang said.
"You've mentioned that she has earth bending friends she travels with. Are they in the city too?" Toph wondered.
Aang nodded, "They can't wait to meet you"
"Hehe good. New victims for me" Toph grinned and rubbed her hands together.
"Don't you mean students?" Sokka questioned, his eyebrow raised.
"I said what I said Snoozles" Toph simply answered.
"I'll be sure to brew great tea for those girls" Iroh spoke as he walked into the kitchen.
"Morning Iroh" they all greeted him.
"Good Morning children. Aang if you could be so kind and do me a favor."
"What can I do for you Iroh?'
"I have a list of ingredients I need for the shop. I would appreciate it if you can grab them for me since you know the best stalls" Iroh handed Aang the list.
"I'll be happy to help" Aang read through the list. There wasn't anything that he didn't know on it so it wouldn't be a problem for him. An idea struck him as he glanced at Katara who was slowly cleaning her plate. She seemed to have something on her mind from what Aang could tell. After what they both had gone through he thought that maybe it was time for them to hang out together like they did before.
"Katara, do you want to go with me?"
The water bender shook her head after she heard him call out to her. She placed the plate on the rack and turned back to him with a smile, "I'd love to. Just as long as we don't take too much time. I already promised Iroh I would help out working as a waitress in the afternoon."
"Great! We can head out after I finish my breakfast."
It was a beautiful day in Ba Sing Se. The sun shined brightly with no clouds in the sky. Aang and Katara were almost done gathering the ingredients Iroh needed for the Jasmine dragon.
"How is it that you know exactly where to go for the best ingredients?" Katara asked.
"I like to do a good amount of exploring in the city. Plus, Iroh usually asks me to help get ingredients and I just go to the stores and stalls that he recommends." He answered. Aang looked back to his list. They still needed to buy a few cinnamon sticks for the chai tea.
They walked up to a stall where a merchant was selling fresh cinnamon sticks along with some black pepper. After making their purchases Aang and Katara made their way back to the tea shop. A question lay heavily on the water bender's mind and decided it was now or never.
"So are you and this Kano girl close?"
Aang thought for a moment, "I guess you can say that we are. The last time I saw her was months ago."
"Oh okay"
"Why do you ask?" Aang wondered.
"Just curious", she shrugged, "From what I could tell last night, you two seemed really close and this morning you looked really happy."
"That reminds me…you and the others were watching us" Aang narrowed his eyes at her.
Katara looked down to avoid his gaze and stuttered, "I-I…well…we were just curious. Toph sensed you coming with someone. We were surprised that you weren't alone. Plus Suki said that was the f-f-first time you brought a date home."
"Curious huh?" Aang shook his head, "Can't believe you all huddled at the window just to watch me and Kano."
"Are you mad?" Katara looked back at him with a guilty expression.
"I was more annoyed than I was mad" Aang sighed, "I'm over it now."
"I'm sorry" Katara muttered.
"It's okay Katara. I'm not upset" Aang grinned, "If I'm being honest I'm just glad you all didn't decide to spy on Kano and I during our date."
"Toph actually suggested it but Suki shut that idea down" Katara confessed. Toph thought it would be fun to spy on Aang and his latest date now that Sokka and Katara came back. Sokka was ready to do so until Suki put her foot down and forbid them from doing it.
"Of course Toph would actually try it. She and Suki already spied on me and my dates a few times"
"Oh spirits! They really did?" Katara tried to stifle her laughter.
"Yup. There was one time where I was actually glad they were spying on me"
"What happened?"
"I was on a date with this woman, Rika, who was desperate to marry me. She tried to force herself on to me at the diner, but luckily Toph sent her flying. Suki grabbed my hand and we ran right out of there."
"Oh my gosh Aang!" Katara exclaimed as she brought her hands up to her mouth.
"Yeah…Rika was something. She was like a majority of my dates. They saw a chance to marry the Avatar and jumped at it. A few of them literally jumped at me" Aang shuddered as he remembered some of those dates. It was ridiculous how many adult women were willing to throw themselves at him.
"Why even go on these blind dates? Kind of seems pointless if they just want to date you because you're the Avatar." Katara commented.
"I didn't want to give up. It isn't like those women can hurt me" Aang responded.
"Suki said that you wanted to get yourself out there and start dating other girls. What brought that about?" Katara asked. She had a feeling there was more to why he was willing to go on so many blind dates.
'To get over you' he thought in his head. Instead he said, "It's exactly what Suki told you. I want to put myself out there and meet a nice girl."
Katara wanted to press him further over the topic but hesitated. Aang would just find a way to jump around the issue or would become annoyed with her constant questions. The last thing Katara wanted was for him to distance himself from her again. She decided to switch to another subject that she wished to discuss with him.
"So umm…what did Mai want to discuss with you yesterday?"
While Katara and Aang were out, the others stayed back at the house. Sokka and Suki had done sparring sessions in the backyard and were currently taking a break. They sat down on the bench and caught each other up on what had transpired since they last seen each other back at the fire nation.
"Who knew a bad date would really put Aang in the dumps like that…" Sokka muttered after Suki informed him of what transpired between the air bender and Mira.
"It was more than just that one date Sokka. Almost all of those girls just wanted Aang only because he's the Avatar and the last air bender. They care more about the status that they would receive by marrying Aang. Those girls didn't care for who he was and it got to him", Suki replied.
"Yeah…sometimes I forget what it means for Aang to be the last of his people. It's up to him and whoever he marries to birth a new generation of air benders. That's a big responsibility. Especially for someone as young as he is."
"Now that I think about it, Aang never talked to us about that. You think it weighs on his mind a lot?" Suki wondered.
"If it weighs on his mind then he does a good job of hiding it", Sokka shrugged, "It wasn't that long ago that he defeated Ozai and ended the war. He's likely just taking it one step at a time."
"He shouldn't have to think about it at his age. I would rather Aang just do whatever he wants while he can. He's still a kid. Heck, we're all are still kids." Suki said.
"Kids that ended a hundred years old war. Zuko isn't even eighteen yet and he's running an entire nation."
Suki rested her head on Sokka's shoulders, "Aang already has to deal with the weight of the world on his shoulders…I just wish he would have someone by his side that would be there for him. Someone that can make him happy…"
"Then maybe we should let Katara tell him. We both know that she loves him." Sokka suggested. The Kyoshi warrior pulled her head back and let out a frustrated sigh.
"I've already told you that isn't a good idea Sokka!"
"Well why not?!" Sokka exclaimed and stood up, his arms spread wide open, "We both know Aang wasn't honest with Katara back in the fire nation. He's still in love with her despite what he said."
"They need to go back to being friends first after all this time they have been separated. You can't expect Aang to be willing to accept Katara like that after all that lost time. We need to give him time."
"How much bloody time is he going to need Suki?! You can't keep coddling Aang like this!"
"I'm not coddling him!" Suki yelled.
"Yes you are! You keep treating him like he's a fragile baby! You literally had to sleep with him." Sokka argued.
"He asked me to stay so he wouldn't feel lonely! Did you expect me to say no to him?"
"I'm not saying that y—"
Suki interrupted him, "I do it because he's my family too! If it was Katara or Toph then I would have done the same for them in a heart beat!"
Sokka put his hands up in the air, "I understand that. I know that you just want what is best for Aang. You know he is like my little brother, but I don't want Katara getting hurt because of him. We saw Aang practically gushing over that Kano girl he told us about and I don't want to see my sister have her heart broken."
"Oh really? Then what was that you asked him earlier? Insinuating that he kept his date going with Kano in his bedroom." Suki questioned with her arms crossed.
"Okay, I'll admit that was dumb of me to say. I'm not the brightest after just waking up and I speak before I think." Sokka admitted.
Suki scoffed, "You got that right."
Sokka sat back down and held her hands in his, "You already admitted that this 'date with the Avatar' nonsense was really just a way for Aang to get over Katara. Now that Katara knows that she is in love with Aang, there is no need for it."
"Sokka I told you—"
"It doesn't have to be now. You already told Katara to wait right? All I'm saying is that when the time comes then we should help them." Sokka explained.
The Kyoshi warrior said nothing and glanced elsewhere as she contemplated. She believed Katara when she informed everyone that she wanted to be with Aang. While a majority of his dates had gone nowhere, it seemed that Aang was very happy with last date with Kano. It was finally a step in the intended direction for him, but with Katara back in the picture Suki wasn't sure what was best for them. She didn't know what to think. Finally she turned back to her boyfriend, "Okay…we'll wait for the right time."
"Thank you. Just you wait and see, I know that they'll be happy together." Sokka insisted and then gave her a big smooching peck on her cheek, making her giggle. Suki could only hope that he would be right about that.
Aang wasn't sure how he could answer Katara's latest question. Mai came to him and informed him of Zuko and Katara's break up. She received a letter from Zuko asking for a chance to talk and since Aang had his heart broken the same way she had, it only seemed right that she asked him what she should do. It was a personal discussion between Mai and Aang. A discussion that turned steamy in his bedroom. Which Mai made sure everyone, especially Katara, know that they had done more than just talking.
The news of Katara and Zuko's break up took time for him to process. For most of it, he didn't think about it. Aang worried that Katara might have blamed him for Zuko ending their relationship, so he decided to avoid bringing up the topic with her. However, now that she was asking him what he and Mai talked about, he knew he didn't have much of a choice now. He finally spoke as they kept walking.
"Mai got a letter from Zuko. He wrote…that he wanted to see her again when he arrives here"
"So then you know…" Katara murmured, her eyes averting his.
"That you two broke up? Yeah I know. I'm sorry things didn't work out between you two." Aang truly meant it.
"Don't be. Zuko and I weren't really compatible to begin with. We both wanted different things from each other and ended up arguing a lot. If we stayed together then I believe we would have ended up resenting each other." Katara explained.
"So you're not upset about it?" Aang asked. He was surprised to see how well Katara took the break up.
"I'm fine Aang", she smiled, "Is there a reason why Mai chose to speak to you about Zuko?"
He decided that he would take her word for it. He was just glad that she didn't blame him for what happened between her and Zuko. "She asked me what I thought she should do."
"Why would she ask yo—…oh" Katara connected the dots in her head.
"Yeah…" Aang mumbled. Just like Ty Lee had said before. Same boat.
"Aang I'm sor—"
"We already agreed to move on from apologies Katara" Aang softly smiled at her, "Besides, it's in the past. I've moved on." She only hoped that he didn't mean that he moved on completely from her. Katara would have felt devastated upon hearing that. She so desperately wanted to tell him that she loved him. Had she not promised Suki to wait then she would have. It took her tremendous strength to hold herself back.
"Fine. So what did you tell her to do?"
"I told her that she should do what she wanted to do. That wasn't really good enough for her so I suggested that she can at least hear Zuko out and then decide what to do from there."
"That is some good advice" Katara agreed, "Do you think Zuko will be able to win her back?"
"Well if I'm being honest…If Zuko really wants Mai to take him back then he's going to have to work hard for it. Even if she decides that she wants to take him back then it's likely that she won't make it easy." Aang responded.
"Well I can't say that I would blame her if she decided not to." Katara sighed, "She must hate me for what I did to her."
"I wouldn't say that she hates you…" Aang said, trying to lift up her spirits. She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Aang I practically stole Zuko from her while she rotted in a prison cell. Yesterday she just walked past me without saying a word to me. If I was her then I would hate me too." Katara responded.
"If it makes you feel better, Mai is the kind of girl that hates almost everything. That's the kind of person she is."
A small smile crept up on Katara's face, "That does make me feel somewhat better I guess"
"I just hope Zuko and Mai can work out their differences and get back together. I'm sure they would be happy together." Aang said.
"Me too", she agreed, 'and hopefully I can finally tell you how I feel soon.'
As the two kept walking, they heard the sounds of a child whimpering. They both looked to the right and saw a young boy sitting on the ground, clutching his bloody knee. Without thinking, Katara passed her bag of ingredients to Aang and rushed to the child. The air bender followed her into the alley. As soon as she reached the boy, Katara kneeled down next to him and uncorked her water flask.
"What's happened?" She softly asked. The boy looked up to her with teary green eyes. He had short black hair and tan skin.
"I-I-I was playing around with my f-friends and I tripped. My knee hurts really bad and it won't stop bleeding." The boy pulled his hands back and revealed his bloodied knee, "my family is poor and can't afford a doctor…I d-don't want to be a burden on them."
"Oh honey…" Katara placed a hand on his cheek and wiped his tears, "What's your name?"
"Jinhai", the boy whimpered.
"It's nice to meet you Jinhai. My name is Katara and this…" she gestured to Aang, "is Aang. You're going to be okay." With introductions out of the way, Katara bent out the water from her flask and held it over Jinhai's knee. The water glowed, making the blood disperse and healing the scrapes. By the time she was done, Jinhai's knee was cleaned from blood and scrapes. The boy stood up slowly then jumped up and down.
"It doesn't hurt anymore!" Jinhai wrapped his small arms around Katara, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"You're welcome dear", Katara giggled and hugged him back. Aang couldn't help but smile at the scene he was witnessing. Jinhai and Katara broke off their hug and she let him go on his merry way. She still made sure to give him a stern warning to be careful when playing with others.
Katara watched, smiling, as Jinhai happily ran back home. Aang admired her from behind. He reminisced on the times they spent together since their first meeting in the iceberg. He always noticed how quick she was to helping others, even strangers. If there was a way for her to help in any way that she could then there would be no hesitation on her part. That is exactly what she did for the fishing village of Jang Hui.
"I WILL NEVER EVER TURN MY BACK ON PEOPLE WHO NEED ME!"
Aang remembered how adamant Katara was about helping the villagers and he was willing to help her as well. It was just in her nature to help those who needed it the most. Her compassion was one of the many reasons why he loved her.
Once Jinhai was out of sight, Katara turned back to Aang. "Let's keep moving. I would hate to keep Iroh waiting for the ingredients", she said as she took back the bag she gave him earlier.
"Ready when you are" Aang grinned and the two went on their way. They kept a conversation going and talked about the healing lessons they had with Yugoda. Aang and Katara were only a few blocks away from the Jasmine Dragon when an official working under King Kuei called out to them. The official informed Aang that he was needed at the palace to sign a few documents regarding trade routes and aid relief.
"Will you be okay with carrying the rest of the ingredients back to Iroh?" Aang asked Katara.
"Of course", she grabbed his bags, "I'll see you back at the shop"
"Okay. I'll see you later!" Aang smiled again. The official offered to give Aang a ride to the palace with his carriage but he elected to use his air bending to get there faster. He leaped up high in the air and headed over to the palace as he jumped from building to building. Katara watched him go until she could no longer see him in the distance. She was thankful to finally be able to spend time with him again after so long. With that, Katara turned around and walked to the Jasmine Dragon. Her first shift to waitress started in almost an hour and she didn't want to be late for it.
The Jasmine Dragon was busy with customers. Many in the morning and afternoon until it began slowing down in the evening. While Aang was still at the palace, the others worked at the tea shop. The girls would work as waitresses while Sokka worked in the kitchen with Iroh.
"Order for table 3!" Toph called out with an uncharacteristically sweet tone.
"Right here my dear" an elderly lady called out. Toph followed the direction of where the voice came from and placed two cups of tea. At the table sat two old ladies who were regulars at the Jasmine Dragon.
"Iroh is a saint for allowing such a sweet pretty girl like you working here despite your disability." The other elderly women said as she grabbed her tea cup.
"Iroh knows that I don't like to let my disability hinder how I live my life. I'm happy to be of service", Toph replied as she kept her sweet façade go on, "Is there anything else I can do for you two?"
"That will be enough dear. You can expect a big tip from us."
"Thank you very much! I really appreciate it!" Toph bowed her head and held the biggest fake smile she could make. She bid farewell to the customers and made her way back to the kitchen window where Suki and Katara stood watching her with amused smirks plastered on their faces.
"You really are something Toph" Suki remarked.
"Just imagine if the customers knew who you really are behind that sweet innocent act you put on for them" Katara said.
"Don't be upset just because I'm making more money than you two" Toph replied as she placed the cup plate over the window on the table.
"We volunteered to help Iroh because he's letting us stay in his home. Not to get paid." Katara said, crossing her arms.
"Really?", Suki asked, "I've been accepting the tips that I got from my customers."
"Probably didn't get as much as I have" Toph snickered.
"Well excuse me for not having a disability to exploit as a way to get more tips" Suki narrowed her eyes.
"Don't hate the player, hate the game" Toph smugly grinned. From the other side of the window, Iroh came up with some freshly made tea.
"Having three young pretty girls working as my waitresses is good for business. The tips you are receiving are yours to take as far as I am concerned."
"You already gave us a place to stay while we're here Iroh. I would hate to infringe on you and your tea shop." Katara responded.
"Nonsense", he shook his head, "If anything you're helping my tea shop. I will always give you a warm home to stay when you are in Ba Sing Se. I've made my decision and the money you earn in tips will be given to you. I will not take no for an answer young lady."
"Fine", Katara sighed. She wasn't doing the job in hopes of getting paid for it, but if Iroh insisted then she had no choice other than to accept. She could tell that there was no point in arguing with the former fire nation general.
"Good", Iroh turned to Suki and handed her the plate of freshly made tea, "give this order to table six please" The Kyoshi warrior gripped the plate tight in her hands to avoid dropping the tea then walked towards the table. From the corner of her eye, Katara saw three figures walking up to the Jasmine Dragon entrance. She walked up to them and saw two girls at the front. One girl had short brown hair while the other had long red hair. Katara couldn't get a good look at the third girl behind them who was looking around the shop, admiring the interior decorations.
"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon! Party of three?" She enthusiastically greeted the new customers.
"Yes" the red hair girl replied.
"Follow me to your table", Katara turned around and led them to table nine near the window. The three customers sat on their chairs as Katara grabbed three menu cards. She passed the first menu card to the brown hair girl then the second to the redhead. Finally, she passed the last card to the third member of the party, whom she recognized immediately.
'It's her.', she thought. Another pair of blue eyes looked at Katara and widened in recognition.
"You must be Katara", the girl stuck out her hand to Katara, "My name is Kano."
Hope you liked this latest chapter! As usual please leave a review and let me know how I did. I will work on the final chapter of Yandere Katara soon. Hope you all have a great weekend!