Chapter 6 - The Lesson

They found the ostrich horse where Zuko had left it at the edge of the village. The animal had dutifully remained nearby and offered no protest as both benders mounted the beast and the Fire Prince cracked the reins to inspire the horse to run.

They galloped away from the fighting, away from the chaos, away from the death. A short time later, the horse began to pant heavily and Zuko eased up on the reins. The waterbender at his back did not let up on her vice grip around his waist, her head buried in his back, as the horse slowed to a brisk trot and eventually a fast walk.

They kept on for a while longer, anxious to put as much distance as they could between them and the tumultuous battlefield as quickly as possible. Neither of them said anything the entire time. The only sounds that echoed down the road were the steady hoof stomps of the ostrich horse as the animal carried their weight.

Eventually, Zuko noticed a gathering of rocks that seemed to form a natural canopy over a small patch of grass a little way off from the beaten trail and he steered the ostrich horse over in that direction. Coming to a stop, he slid off the horse and helped the waterbender down.

He could feel his adrenaline leave him as he dismounted. A churning in his stomach filled his face with dread as he dashed over to a grouping of bushes and proceeded to cough up bile. He heard a similar sound to his left and turned to see the Water Tribe girl mimicking his actions into another set of bushes.

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he dug into his pockets and pulled out a clean rag that he offered to the waterbender. She took it graciously to wipe her own mouth. Then, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes and rushed into his chest, burying her face into his shoulder, sobbing and shivering uncontrollably as she leaned in closer.

Zuko's hands flew up in shock, not knowing what to do. He was on the verge of falling apart himself. Slowly, more than a little unsure of himself, he lowered his arms as he patted the bawling girl on her back gingerly. His own turbulent emotions began to surge as images of soldiers dying violent, senseless deaths and his own countrymen, his own people, attacking him overwhelmingly assaulted his memories.

He had thought he was ready. That's what he had wanted wasn't it? To carry the honor and prestige of the Fire Nation. What was honorable about what he had just witnessed? That was just killing and trying not to be killed. It was nothing like the grand stories the Fire Sages described.

Was that what he was struggling to return to his former position in order to eventually rule over? He had thought he was prepared. He hadn't been prepared to watch his countrymen inflict such brutality and have such brutality inflicted on them in return. He hadn't been prepared for the actuality of his own citizens raising their weapons against him, actively trying to kill him. It had been different than his fight with Zhao. Zhao may have tried to kill him once before, but Zhao was an arrogant jerk. These were regular, everyday rank and file. Normal people. His people.

Zuko's arms found their way around the waterbender's back, gripping her closely in a tight bear hug as he rested his chin on the top of her head, his eyes shut tight and his own tears beginning to flow silently. She hugged him back almost at once, grateful for his return of human contact. Zuko barely kept himself from making any noise as he listened to Katara's soft, muffled cries echo throughout the area.


A short time later, the pair found themselves sitting at opposite ends of a small campfire. Zuko contemplatively stared at the crackling flames. He almost did not hear the waterbender at first.

"Why?"

The firebender rose his head at the sound of her voice.

"Why is the Fire Nation invading everywhere? Why is it spreading war and violence and hatred?"

Despite the scene he had just witnessed earlier today, despite the horrors replaying over and over again in his mind, despite his conflicting emotions, Zuko's need to believe in his own nation somehow managed to bubble back to the surface. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Anger and hurt were apparent on the Water Tribe girl's face. "I don't? I know that the fighting has been going on for over a hundred years. I know my village lives in constant terror of the Fire Nation attacking us. That we can't defend ourselves like the Earth Kingdom is trying too because our warriors are off fighting far away from us trying to keep the enemy from finding us. My own Father is fighting far away from me! So why is the Fire Nation doing this?"

"You wouldn't understand," was his automatic response.

Zuko's curt dismissals were quickly transforming Katara's feelings of sadness into those of ire. "What don't I understand? Please, explain it to this simple-minded peasant girl."

He did not want to talk about this. Not right now, not when his own convictions were so shaky. For the first time since he was banished from home in pursuit of the Avatar, he found himself actually starting to question what was the right thing to do. He had only gotten a brief taste of the tangible war today. Only a cursory look at the actual warfront. What his soldiers were doing. What was being done to them. And it was different than the stories he had been told. Different from what he had pictured in his mind. Too different.

When Zuko did not respond to her, Katara stood up. "Why?!" She needed an answer. She needed to know why everyone was always fighting. Why everyone was always dying. What it was all for. "Tell me!"

The firebender had shut his eyes tightly at her verbal onslaught. Then, he curled his hands into fists as he stomped to his feet, his eyes snapping open, golden eyes fiercely meeting blue, and shouting back, "I don't know!" The campfire erupted into a pillar of fire and licked the rocks overhead of the outcropping.

Katara was startled by the vertical jet stream of flames, but she didn't back down as the two locked glares. The firebender's eyes calmed first. "I don't... know," Zuko repeated, softer now. He stared into the flames as the bonfire calmed. "Growing up, we were always taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. The Fire Sages taught us that it was our honor to share the Fire Nation's greatness with the world. That is was our duty to spread innovation and technology. Too enlighten the more primitive nations. We've always been taught that it was our duty. No one questions it."

"Greatness?" echoed Katara in disbelief. "How has this war been great for anyone? There has been nothing but pain and suffering and sadness."

"It's all wrong," continued Zuko, more to himself as he began to monologue. "I was supposed to have a grand destiny. Capture the Avatar. Return to my rightful place as heir to the Fire Nation. Reclaim my honor." He paused. "And continue the goals of my Father and grandfather and great grandfather. Which means continuing this war doesn't it?" He laughed mirthlessly as if realizing the connection for the first time. "Sending men and women to fight and die for the glory of the Fire Nation against men and women fighting to protect their own homes from the Fire Nation."

"Heir?" observed Katara, her mouth opened in shock. "Your Father is the Fire Lord?"

Zuko cringed both inwardly and outwardly. She didn't know? He suddenly felt like the total number of people who did not hate him and want him dead had just been forcefully and instantly reduced back down to one. And that thought scared him more than he realized it could, even if he couldn't understand why. "Who did you think I was?"

Now it was Katara's turn to be taken back. She never thought about it before, but he had always been out in front of all the Fire Nation troops in her village and at Kyoshi Island barking orders and commands. All the older soldiers heeded him despite his age. Thinking back, it had been obvious that he was someone of importance, but she never would have guessed the Fire Prince himself would have been searching for the Avatar down in the South Pole. Didn't he have soldiers he could have sent for that dirty task? "I don't know. I guess I figured you were just another firebender trying to ruin the world. Trying to take away our last, great hope for peace."

"The giant royal insignia on the side of my ship wasn't enough of an indication?" pressed Zuko.

"I wouldn't know the difference between that and another Fire Nation emblem," came the reply from the waterbender.

Zuko mentally facepalmed. Of course. Why would a girl from a small remote village who had probably spent her entire life there ever know what the royal Fire Seal looked like?

Despite her shock at realizing who he was, Katara was having a difficult time imagining him as the evil firebender from the scary stories she had heard growing up from her Brother and her Gran-Gran. Initially, Zuko might have been something akin to an evil firebender, all those months ago as he angrily and constantly demanded the Avatar surrender to him. But these last few weeks, he just seemed so sad and resigned. He had even helped her when he didn't have too. She honestly wondered which one was the real Zuko. "Would you?" asked Katara earnestly.

"W-What?" stumbled Zuko. He realized that she had never took a step away from him in fright or disgust when she realized who he was. Rather, she had actually took a step forward as she spoke her question.

"Would you continue the war?" she clarified.

This was what his Uncle was always trying to get him to see, wasn't it? All those little pushes, all those proverbs, all those lessons. His Uncle had changed after the failed Bang Sing Se campaign. When his son died. When Zuko's cousin died. Uncle had seen these realities too, hadn't he? Would Zuko continue the war if he was put in that position? He was his Father's son after all. It was expected of him. His country had to come first, right? Regardless of everything else, he had a duty to keep his people safe and protected, right? But what did that mean?

"It doesn't matter now," he mused gloomily and evading her question that he was afraid to answer even to himself. "I'm a banished prince, an exile. There are orders to arrest me on sight. Azula is the heir to the Fire Nation now. She is the pride and joy of Father. He would want no better heir to take over for him when he's done. I'm just a disappointment, a weakling, a disgrace."

"I'm a killer," stated Katara darkly. Now it was Zuko's turn to widen his eyes in surprise as he turned to face the waterbender, alarmed at her sudden declaration.

"Back on the prison rig, I got so many people killed because of my overconfidence and recklessness," she explained further. "I inspired them to stand up, to fight back. I gave them coal to earthbend. I led them to be crushed by the guards."

'Prison rig?' thought Zuko to himself. He recalled back to his time hunting the Avatar. There had been a prison rig earlier on into his pursuit. He had received word that the Avatar was trying so free a host of earthbender prisoners. Zuko had set course there immediately, but by the time he arrived, the Avatar was gone. The warden had informed him that the uprising was cleanly put down and the Avatar was injured but had somehow managed to escape. All Zuko had to show for that detour was a single piece of evidence that the Avatar had even been there in the first place. A piece of evidence that he still held onto within his inner tunic pocket. A piece of evidence that suddenly felt a little heavy against his chest as his heart twisted.

This prison rig is where the waterbender had been captured and left behind, made to suffer as a prisoner for months until he stumbled upon her in the port town. He could have taken her away from the prison rig back then, but he didn't know she was there. He didn't ask. He simply hurried after the Avatar in his single minded pursuit. The warden had conveniently left out the part where he had taken the waterbender captive. For some reason the whole situation angered him as he clutched his fists.

Katara hesitated as she turned away from the campfire. "I see them in my nightmares. Every night. All of them. Each of their faces. One by one. I hear them calling out to me. Demanding to know why I'm still alive and why they are dead. Why I got them killed. Why I get to keep on living."

Then she turned back sharply to face Zuko. "And now I've actually killed someone! With my own hands!"

At the firebender's uneasy gaze, she elaborated, "I didn't realize it in the moment. But as we were running away, I just kept replaying it over and over in my head. Everything. I saw the water crash into him. I felt some of it hardening into ice. I saw the look of surprise on your face when we left. I realized that he didn't move or get back up."

Zuko felt his stomach contort as his heart caught a second time in as many minutes. He had gotten a good look at the man that Katara had accidentally ended. Despite all the fights he had been in over the last several years, he had never actually killed someone before. Zuko had even tried to save Zhao when the Ocean Spirit took him despite Zhao trying to kill the Fire Prince on multiple occasions. He wanted to deny it. To tell her that she was mistaken. That she hadn't done it. But the words wouldn't come. They both knew that would have been a lie. Azula would have lied. Azula always lies. But he couldn't. Not about something like this.

Her pitch started to hasten and the words flowed almost at once. "I didn't mean too. It was an accident! I just wanted him off of me. He was choking me. I couldn't breathe. It just happened so fast. Too fast. I reached for the water. I wasn't thinking. He was just trying to get away from the fighting. I was just trying to get away from the fighting. We ran into each other. Why didn't he stop? Why did that have to happen?"

She sat back down, her hands cupped over her face as she muttered. "I'm just as guilty."

"It was an accident," stated Zuko resolutely.

"But he died!" cried out the waterbender as her head darted up from her hands.

"It was an accident," repeated firebender louder.

"It still happened! It doesn't matter if it was an accident!" shouted back Katara.

Zuko waited a beat before speaking again. "That Earth Kingdom soldier wasn't listening to anyone or anything. His own fear and panic had taken over. Worse yet, he was trying to kill you. You protected yourself."

"I should have died. I should have just let him kill me," mused Katara darkly. "Then, maybe the nightmares would truly stop and Haru and Tyro and all the others could be at peace."

A brief period of silence hovered solemnly over the area at the waterbender's dark declaration. Zuko felt uneasy. Even during his more fragile moments of despair he had not entertained such thoughts. Hearing them from the small Water Tribe girl in front of him sounded wrong. Just wrong. These last two weeks of traveling alongside her, the Water Tribe girl had proven to him that she was a fighter. Not a defeated and whipped dog.

The fire continue to dance in the middle of the campsite. Unbidden, a connection clicked within the Fire Prince's head. A memory. Something he had heard from his Uncle just before Zuko went off on his own.

"Never give yourself up to despair," stated Zuko resolutely as he broke the stillness. Apprehensively, Katara stared at him. "Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkness times, hope is something you give yourself. That, is the meaning of inner strength."

At Katara's incredulous stare, Zuko explained further, "Those were the last words my Uncle told me before we parted ways. I think... I think I finally understand what he meant."

The firebender sat back down as well. "If you allow yourself to only see the dark, then you'll never see the light." He ignited a small flame in his right hand. "When my sister Azula tried to capture and imprison me, gleefully told me that our father wanted to lock me up so I could no longer embarrass him, all I could see was red. My own Father wanted nothing to do with me. I truly had lost it all; my honor, my throne, my home. I wanted it all back. It's all I've thought about for weeks."

He began to casually toss the flame back and forth between his hands. "It's all I could focus on. But I never thought about why I wanted it all back. Just that it was all taken away from me. Today, right now, I've only just realized that I have no idea what any of it meant. I need to learn. I need to find my light, my hope."

He lobbed the fireball into the campfire as the two flames joined into one. "Right now, you're only carrying the guilt of those who died on the prison rig. But you inspired them. Shared your own hope. So don't trivialize their sacrifice. To do so would be to dishonor them. They fought for what they believed in, and died, for what they believed in. You just reminded them of that."

"You're saying that even though I motivated an uprising against Fire Nation guards?" asked Katara dubiously.

Zuko crossed his arms. "If your scars, burns, and nearly-dead appearance on the docks are any indication of how those guards treated the rest of the prisoners, then I know who the more honorable people were."

Katara blinked. She hadn't thought about it like that before. Could it be possible to forgive herself and dare to hope for a better future again? She doubted it could be that simple. But what if she could start? "Your Uncle sounds like a wise man," she commented.

Zuko sighed to himself. "You have no idea. He's pretty much always right. About everything. Even when I didn't want to listen to him." He looked away. "We... we didn't part on good terms. I said some things that I wish I could take back."

"You'll see him again one day," replied Katara. "We have to hope, right?"

"Hope," mused Zuko softly. The word itself sounded strange to him, even if it was him who brought up the notion in the first place.

Silence returned to the campsite as both benders contemplated their conversation. Only the sounds of the occasional neigh from the ostrich horse grazing on the nearby grass, the soft serenade of cricket hoppers, and the hissing frizzle of flame from the campfire filled the air. Zuko mulled over his Uncle's words and wondered if he had actually taken a step forward. Katara pondered if the souls of Haru and Tyro would ever honestly forgive her. Simultaneously, the similar thought of 'Could I truly start again?' crossed their minds.

After a time, Katara unclipped her waterskin from her belt loop. Staring at it, she seemed to debate something inwardly to herself before speaking. "I left the South Pole to find a waterbending master to learn from. That was my initial hope. Maybe I can find one now. Aang, Sokka, and I were originally headed to the North Pole to learn waterbending. Maybe we could..."

"The North Pole has sealed off their borders to everyone. They aren't allowing any ship within leagues of their territorial waters right now," interrupted Zuko. At her confusion, he continued, "Admiral Zhao attacked the Northern Water Tribes. He did something to Moon Spirit. The Avatar-"

"Aang," interrupted Katara. "His name is Aang."

Zuko looked at her for a moment, "Aang performed some kind of Avatar trance and joined forces with the Ocean spirit to decimate the Northern Fire Navy. However, he also crushed a good portion of the Northern Water Tribe city in his wake. They are rebuilding and are refusing entry to all ships."

Katara looked deflated once more. "Then I'll never learn how to waterbend properly."

"I could teach you the basics." Zuko's eyes widen in surprise as the words flowed from him without prompting and before he fully realized what he had just said.

"But you're a firebender," returned Katara questioningly.

Well, the offer was out there and he was not one to take back his words so easily. "Uncle talked about all the elements during my bending lessons with him. He has lectured me to no end about how everything ties together for the last three years. If you ever meet him, then don't let him know, but I did listen, even if I didn't understand most of it and was too impatient to try to understand."

"Really?" asked the waterbender, hope rising in her voice for the first time.

Zuko seemed to be distracted as he continued to talk about his Uncle a little bit more. "Sometimes I wondered where Uncle learned about all the other elements, but he would only laugh when I asked. Then, he would always instead ask if I wanted to play Pai Sho with him for some reason."

"You can really teach me the basics?" pressed the Water Tribe girl as she tried to keep the firebender's focus.

Zuko hesitated. This suddenly didn't sound like such a great idea. Not that it had even sounded like a good idea in the first place. But his pride and honor wouldn't allow him to back away now. "I make no promises, but if we can put some more distance between us and that battlefield tomorrow as well as find a water source, then we can try and maybe figure something out."

That evening, Zuko made no protest when he laid down on his side to sleep and felt as the waterbender lay down against him, her back against his. He wouldn't admit it, but after surviving the battlefield, even he craved human contact of someone not trying to actively kill him.


The mid-morning sun shone brightly overhead as Katara began to stir from her slumber. The smell of breakfast cooking over a fresh campfire assaulted her nose and her stomach reminded her quite loudly how famished it was. Sitting up, she noticed her firebending traveling partner sitting cross legged on a flat shaped rocked and facing away from the campsite.

Curious, she approached him. He appeared to have his eyes closed with his hands palmed together in his lap as his chest slightly rose and fell with calculated breathes. He seemed calm and focused. Somewhat peaceful, if she had to describe it.

Interrupting whatever it was that he was doing seemed like the incorrect thing to do and she turned to head back and straighten up the camp when Zuko opened his eyes. "Good morning."

That was another first. The firebender had never said good morning to her before; even when Katara had told him as much the last couple of mornings over the last week. His initial prompting of it just seemed even more out-of-character for him. But in a good way. She appreciated the exchange. "Good morning," she returned with a slight smile. Then, "what were you doing?"

Zuko stretched lazily as he stood up. "Meditating. Uncle always stressed that meditation was crucial to focusing a firebender's ability and clearing one's mind." He frowned slightly. "I was always terrible at it. Impatient. But it felt like something I needed to do this morning. My mind has been a mess. Though, I'm not too sure how much it helped. My mind is still a mess."

Katara nodded in agreement. "I still don't know how I feel about a lot of the things we talked about last night either. It's all just so jumbled up. But you were right about one thing. All this guilt. I don't know if the people that died because of me can ever forgive me, but I need to live my best for them. Because I'm still here."

Zuko noticed a spark of life in her azure eyes that had previously been missing. It suited her. Then her stomach growled. He smirked. "But first breakfast?"

"But first breakfast," she echoed as an embarrassed red hue rose to her cheeks and she placed a hand on her empty stomach.

The morning proceeded very straightforward as they ate their breakfast, got ready for the day, broke down camp, saddled the ostrich horse, and departed. It took the rest of the morning and a little into the early afternoon before they finally came upon a good sized watering hole.

"I'll set up camp," stated the firebender as he removed the last saddlebag. "You water and take care of the horse."

"Then waterbending training?" questioned the waterbender.

The Fire Prince was starting to have second thoughts that he would be able to teach her anything worthwhile, but he had said he would try and Zuko was not one to go back on his word. "Right, and then training."

She beamed as she took the ostrich horse's reins. "Come along, Biscuit."

Zuko paused. "Biscuit?"

"Well yeah. He needed a name and you never seemed to call him by one," the Water Tribe girl replied sheepishly.

"First of all, the horse is a she," noted Zuko. "And second, why?"

"Because she's as cute as a biscuit!"

There was a momentarily delay as an awkward silence engulfed the area between them. "You really do think with your stomach, don't you?"

"At least I'm not as bad as my Brother!"

"That's not exactly a denial."

Zuko smirked slightly to himself at his verbal victory as the waterbender huffed at him and led Biscuit to the watering hole. About half an hour later, when the chores were complete, Zuko found himself walking around the edge of the nearby watering hole holding a stick while Katara sat on a nearby rock.

"The Fire Sages always denounced me as a terrible student. Uncle said I was like a tea ceremony that needed more time to develop," started Zuko as he paced along the shoreline.

"I think I'm starting to appreciate your Uncle more and more," mused Katara.

"Me too," sighed Zuko. If his Uncle was here, then perhaps this attempt at a training lesson wouldn't end in the disaster he was expecting it too. The Fire Prince ceased his aimless pacing in front of the Water Tribe girl. "Look, all I'm saying is I want you to keep your expectations low. I can recall some of my Uncle's teachings about the other elements, but that doesn't mean that I know it well enough. I may just end up confusing you and myself even more."

"Please, try," the waterbender requested earnestly.

The Fire Prince sighed. He was stalling. She had to know he was stalling, right? What was he doing? He wasn't a teacher. He just had to open his mouth and make that ridiculous offer. And then, his pride wouldn't allow him to admit that this was just a far-fetched idea. Who ever heard of one type of bender training another type of bender? Especially a firebender teaching a waterbender? Their elements were complete opposites for crying out loud.

He breathed in to calm himself for a moment as he recalled as many lessons from his Uncle as he could. He should have listened to the man better. He really only knew the highlights. This was going to end horribly.

Zuko crouched down and drew the emblem he was most comfortable with in the dirt with his stick. "Okay, starting with Fire. Fire is the element of Power. Fire is fueled by one's desire and will, their energy and drive to achieve great strength." He drew a second symbol. "Earth is the element of Substance. Earth is reinforced by one's steadfast resolution, their unwavering commitment." A third symbol. "Air is the element of Freedom. Air flows unbound and unfettered from weighty constrictions people place on themselves."

He paused, his brow scrunched up in apprehension. He drew the fourth symbol. "Water is the element of Change. Water adapts to its surroundings; adjusting as it need to, flowing as it needs to, moving as it needs to."

Zuko frowned. His Uncle would have explained it better. And in greater detail with more examples. He was just grasping at the bits and pieces that he managed to recall over the last three years.

Katara listened to his lecture with rapt attention. She had never heard about her element being discussed in such an informative manner before, much less all the other elements as well.

"When I firebend, my will to achieve my desire empowers me and allows me to call forth my fire," continued Zuko. "Precision and focus the Fire Sages would always say." He settled into a bending stance and demonstrated a couple of sharp, crisp katas. His fist would snap out with a firm blow and a kick would make the hem of his pant leg crack like a whip as a small wisps fire were expelled. "I exert the fire out from within. My movements have to be precise and sharp."

"But water isn't like that," surmised Katara in realization. "Water flows back and forth, side to side."

"Correct. Or at least, that's what I think too," shrugged the firebender.

Katara stood up and approached the shoreline. Assuming a bending stance of her own, she began to sway her arms back and forth while concentrating on the water. It remained unheeded. "Relax your shoulders," advised Zuko. "You still appear to be very stiff."

She rotated her shoulders in an attempt to loosen them, but still appeared very rigid. The water refused to budge. Zuko stepped up alongside her. "Watch me."

He slid into a fairly similar form as her as he moved slowly, his arms cumbersomely rocking back and forth in a somewhat fluid motion and his face tight with concentration as he constructed movements quite different than what he was used to. It did not look entirely graceful, but it was a marked improvement to what she was trying to do herself. Katara watched the firebender as he actively attempted to undo years of rigid firebending habits and demonstrate what he thought would pass as waterbending movements. She stifled a giggle at his actions.

Zuko frowned as he halted. "I don't have to help you if you're just going to laugh." He knew his movements were probably all wrong, but she didn't need to giggle at him. How could a firebender be expected to know how to move like a waterbender? And how could a novice waterbender possibly be a good judge of knowing if the forms were correct or not?

"No, no, it's just... I'm still wrapping my head around how much effort you're giving this. Teaching me, I mean," Katara replied. "Let me try again."

She attempted to mirror his movements alongside him, slowly at first. Then, gradually the pair of them picked a little speed as the repetition grew more familiar. At some point, Zuko ceased his motions and critiqued the waterbender as she continued to practice. He would prod her elbows or nudge her feet with the stick he had used earlier as a drawing tool.

"You're thinking too much!" He was starting to get frustrated with how slow this training was going.

"Of course I thinking! How else am I supposed to figure out which move to perform next?" shot back Katara, her own frustrations growing. She knew that it was ridiculous, a firebender trying to teach a waterbender. But she was hoping that somehow, things were going to work out and she was finally going to figure it out this time.

"When I firebend, I focus entirely on my element. I force all distractions to the wayside and center on my breathing."

"Well, this isn't firebending!"

"I know that! You can still focus!"

"I am focusing! I can't breath water though!"

They were yelling at each other now.

"I didn't tell you to breath water!"

"You told me to focus on my breathing!"

"You still breath air! I told you to focus on your element!"

"I am focusing on my element! But the water never wants to work with me!"

"Then don't have it work with you! Have it work for you!"

"That sounds like a firebender beating their element into submission!"

"We have to keep a firm grip on our fire! Otherwise it could rage and spiral out of control!"

"Well I think we should try and harmonize more with our given elements!"

"Oh really? And which one of us can actually bend their element again?"

All practicing had ceased at this point as the two of them were standing about an arm's length away from one another and glaring at the other. Then, they pivoted on their heels as they turned away in frustration at their argument.

Zuko wanted to throw something. He knew this lesson wasn't going to work, but he felt like the Water Tribe girl was close to figuring something out. If only she would stop debating each of his suggestions.

Katara kicked the sand around the watering hole's edge in aggravation. The training wasn't going as smoothly as she had hoped it would. She knew that Zuko was trying to teach her the best he could and he was giving it more of an effort than she figured he would. So why was she still not figuring anything out?

As they both calmed down, Zuko attempted a different approach. "Breathing fuels my element. What fuels yours?"

"I don't know!" came the exasperated reply. The waterbender thought for a moment and shouted the first thing that came to mind. "Movement! I guess..."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought for a moment, imagining the sea striking shoreline walls or the graceful movements of an ornate fountain in the royal courtyard. "Then, empty your mind. Think about water. Imagine its movement in your head. Be formless, shapeless-like water. Water can flow. It can crash. It can move. Be water."

Katara settled down as well and recentered herself. She closed her eyes and recalled the memory of drifting in a canoe amidst the flow of the currents, the recollection of the roaring ocean waves. Beginning again, she attempted to move more naturally.

Eventually, it appeared that Zuko thought that the waterbender was still not getting it as he dropped his pointing stick and walked directly in front of her. Taking her wrists into his own hands, he slowly began moving them in a fluid bending motion. Katara's cheeks reddened as she tensed under his warm touch. "What are you doing?"

Zuko paused for a moment as if he suddenly realized that he was holding her hands. However, he didn't release her. "I... your movements are still too stiff and rigid. You need to flow. Be water. I was... I was just guiding your movements to help show you the way."

They walked through the self-created water forms a few more times and the waterbender felt herself growing more comfortable with the motions. After a couple of sets, the firebender released her wrists and guided her to the watering hole.

"Focus once more on the water," he urged calmly. "Remember, bend the water. Don't force it. It is your element. It is a part of you. Think of it as an extension of yourself. Your movements become its movements. Allow it to move as you would move."

The waterbender nodded as she repositioned herself on the shoreline. Closing her eyes in concentration, she focused her movements once more on the liquid's surface. As she reached and pulled, she could feel the water on the edge of her mind, moving back and forth, giving and taking. Slowly, but noticeably, waves began to form on the surface of the watering hole. "I think I feel the water." She poured more effort into her bending as she attempted to make the water move more in sync with her.

"Focus!" counseled Zuko with emergent alarm as he watched the waves rise and fall with intensity and witnessed how the water surged far more rapidly than he imagined it should. "Katara!"

The Water Tribe girl's eyes shot open just in time to observe a wave easily three times as tall as her tower over the pair on the shoreline just before it crashed down, drenching them both head to toe.

A mild look of annoyance appeared on Zuko's face as he stood there, dripping wet and soaked to the bone. He belatedly noted, "Congratulations. I think that officially qualifies you as a real waterbe-"

He didn't get to finish his comment before he felt himself getting full body tackled by an ecstatic waterbender as they both tumbled to the ground. "I did it! It worked! I could feel the water! Zuko, that was amazing!"

He blushed. Definitely because of the compliment he just received to his teaching ability and definitely not because of the overjoyed girl hugging him. Awkwardly patting her on the back, he managed, "That was very good. We'll need to keep working on the form obviously, but with some more practice, you'll only get better."

At the sound of his voice, Katara seemed to realize two things incredibility quickly. First, that she was lying on top of him. And second, that they were both drenched with water. She jumped back to her feet, fiddling with her wet hair to hide the blush forming on her own cheeks. "Thank you," she mumbled appreciatively. Then, hoping to find something else to talk about, she blurted out, "How long did it take you to learn firebending?"

Zuko sighed as he stood back up too. "Ten years to master the basics."

"Ten years?!" she parroted.

"You do remember me mentioning that I was a terrible student, don't you?" he shrugged.

"Then, let me help you too!" replied the Water Tribe girl. "We can learn how to improve our bending together."

"Oh?" mused Zuko. "One success story and suddenly you're ready to start being a teacher yourself?"

Feeling a spark of satisfaction at finally being able to make a connection with her element, Katara boasted, "You'll see. I'll keep getting better and better." She walked backwards a little way into the watering hole. "Let me try that one more time! Do you get that same kind of excitement when you practice firebending? I can see why-"

Her voice cut off as the waterbender abruptly dropped under the surface of the water with a surprised yelp. Zuko's face instantly filled with concern as he took several steps towards the edge of the water. "Katara?" When she didn't surface a few second later, he kicked off his boots and ran into the watering hole himself. Just a couple feet in from the edge, he realized that the watering hole actually had a severe drop-off where it rapidly transitioned from about a foot of water to several dozens of feet in depth. He dove in after her.

Swimming downwards, he saw her in the clear blue water, trying to move her arms and use the water to propel herself back upward, but she was clearly panicking and sinking fast as her movements grew more and more sluggish. He grabbed her arm and pulled both of them back to the surface.

Surging above the waterline, Katara sputtered with a gasp as she took in mouthful after mouthful of fresh air desperately. Her arms flailed as she grabbed at Zuko's floating form franticly. The Fire Prince struggled to keep both of them buoyant. More than once, she dunked him back under the water as she used him to push herself up, higher over the water. Zuko was forced to grab her arms with his own and pin them to her side so that he could find a moment to breath. "Easy! You're okay! Calm down! It's alright!" he soothed.

His words appeared to reach her as she calmed her exertions. Taking a moment to ensure she was not about to start thrashing about again, Zuko began to paddle the both of them back to the shoreline. She clung to him weakly. Dragging both of them out of the water, Zuko settled the pair of them onto solid ground as he laid back to catch his breath. His own hair matted to his head and he could feel the mud from the earthen ground start to cling to his back, arms, and legs.

He turned his skyward gaze towards the Water Tribe girl next to him, lying on her side and still coughing up water. The absurdity of the entire situation was beginning to catch up with him and he let out a small, fleeting laugh.

The unfamiliar sound caught in Katara's ear as she observed the firebender lying on his back with his right arm over his eyes, attempting to calm his amusement. "It's not funny," she asserted sharply.

"I think it is," managed Zuko in-between his chuckles as he got control of himself once more. "How can a waterbender almost drown in her own element?"

"I'm from the South Pole!" she insisted. "The water is freezing there. We don't exactly spend a lot of our time swimming."

It made sense logically. But the knowledge that a group of people known as the Water Tribe might actually be worse swimmers than people from other nations was just too hilarious, even for Zuko as he smirked a second time. "So you really don't know swim?"

Katara prickled at his superior tone. "Oh? And you are such a great swimmer yourself?"

Zuko looked back at the water and then back at her. He gave her a raised eyebrow expression that unmistakably communicated, 'Clearly.'

Katara crossed her arms and pouted. "Well, you don't have to be so arrogant about it."

She felt him standing in front of her. Raising her head, she noticed his outstretched hand. "Come on. The next lesson of the day. I'm going to teach you how to swim."

He didn't sound arrogant at all. In fact, his hand was reassuring as she held it and he led her back to the water. Reaching the water drop-off once more, Zuko sat Katara down on the edge as he slid into the deep water and started to tread in place on the surface.

"Watch my legs." The Water Tribe girl observed him in the crystal clear water. "See how I kick out with my legs in a scissoring motion? That, along with keeping my head straight and my body centered, allows me to tread water quite easily. My arms are mostly just helping to keep me balanced and upright. All the real work is done with the legs."

He brought himself closer to Katara as he reached out with his hand. "Here."

"I don't know about this," answered Katara uneasily as she looked at the water than nearly tried to drown her a couple of minutes ago.

"Don't worry, I'm right here," he assured. Then, a mischievous grin appeared on his face when she continued to hesitate. "Unless you're admitting that the firebender is better with water than the waterbender."

Determination burned in her eyes as she took his hand and pushed off from the water drop-off. She immediately sank. Sputtering as he pulled her back up to the surface, the waterbender clung to Zuko closely. "Easy now, easy," he calmed as he swam the two of them a bit away from the drop-off ledge. "Here, kick out with your legs. I'll hold your arms. You are not going to sink. I won't let you."

Katara separated from him slowly as she kicked rapidly with both of her legs, her hands still holding onto both of his. She could hear his instructions. "Steady now. You don't need that much movement. Purposeful, steady kicks." She unintentionally kicked him in the knee and he cringed slightly.

"Sorry," the waterbender apologized.

Zuko fought off an annoyed expression through the pain. "A teaching hazard. Don't worry about it. Now, see. You're starting to get the hang of it."

Katara realized that she was, in fact, starting to keep herself above the water's surface under her own power as her leg kicks were becoming less panicky and more purposeful.

"I'm going to let one of your hands go," stated the Fire Prince calmly.

"W-What?" she squeaked, clearly startled.

"Baby steps. Use your free hand to help keep yourself steady. You're doing a great job," Zuko continued to reassure as he released one of her hands.

Warily, the waterbender swayed her freed arm back and forth with the rhythm of the water as she steadied herself. As she moved, her breath caught as she realized just how immersed she was with her element. Sure, she had been in water before, in baths or standing in knee deep rivers and lakes. But this was the first time that she was fully submerged and swimming with the water. Right now, in this moment, Katara was truly feeling at one with her element.

Absently, she noticed that Zuko had quietly released her other hand and as of right now, she was treading water on her own. A little clumsily, not as precise as the firebender's efforts, but she was learning, adapting. It felt right. She could feel the water all around her. She was part of it.

A short time later, the pair sat side-by-side on the shoreline once more, resting as the sun began to get low on the horizon. Katara was feeling fatigued and sore from all the swimming practice, but she had a huge smile on her face. She had never felt this close to her own element before. She had made more progress in learning about her element today than she ever had all her life by herself.

She leaned closer to the firebender as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You may think you're a terrible student, but you make an excellent teacher."

Zuko tensed initially at her touch, but he didn't try to shake her off. Watching the sun as it continued to set, he whispered a low, "Thanks."