The Thief And The Healer

Episode 27: Katara Loses Her Bending

A/N: So sorry it's late! I'm running a little behind now that we've caught up to where I'm writing. It's a little stilted, editing to come, but it's here! Hope you like it. 

"Katara? Katara!"

Katara groaned as she sat up, rubbing her aching head. She was still wearing the ridiculously fancy dress, lying on the floor of the dressing room.

"What happened?" Suki asked. Katara's eyes focused enough to notice her friend kneeling beside her with a concerned expression. Everything felt hazy, like the walls were pressing in on her.

"Did you pass out?" Suki prompted.

"No, I...Azula was here," Katara explained. "With Ty Lee and another girl who-" she stopped herself. "They were warning me off the island. Did you know the bakery had already been leveled?"

Suki pursed her lips, suddenly unwilling to meet Katara's eye. "Sokka and Hakoda know."

"So just...just me." Katara pushed up and moved into the dressing stall, slamming the curtain with a high pitched swish.

"Katara-"

"No, it's fine." Katara slung the sleeves off her shoulders and shimmied out of the blue satin. "Why would I need to know? Why bother Katara? She obviously couldn't handle it."

"That's not what-"

Katara shoved into her shirt. "She'd probably overreact, do something impulsive, maybe smash something?"

"Now, smashing was actually mentioned. Remember the action figure debacle of '03?"

"Sokka really needs to get over that," Katara grumbled, pulling on her jeans. "Did you also forget to tell me about the groundbreaking ceremony?"

"Groundbreaking? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the-" Katara stopped. Looking down at her hand, she flexed her fingers out and then made a fist before releasing the pressure.

"Katara?" Suki asked from out of sight.

No paleness, ample blood flow...had she passed out? Had Azula knocked her out? Ty Lee had done...something.

Something that had stopped her.

Panic started to climb her neck, tightening from her shoulders and curling inward. No. It couldn't be.

Katara looked around for some water. A glass, a pipe, anything. She should be able to feel it through the walls, should be able to sense the ebb and flow of the moon.

Silence.

Static.

Feedback from an empty channel.

Katara ran from the changing room.

"Katara!" Suki called after her.

"Excuse me, ma'am." The lady at the front tried to stop her but she pushed past, heading straight out towards the water fountain she had noticed earlier. She had to find it from memory because she couldn't feel it anymore.

"No." Katara pushed the button on the side and water sprouted from the spigot. The taunting, clear liquid rose and fell to splatter against the metal in a discouragingly steady stream.

Katara released the button and the water stopped. She pushed it and it started. But her hand above the water never tilted the flow.

On and off. On and off. She controlled the water, but not in the way she wanted.