A Different Destiny

Part 28

"I'm sorry to bring up such dark things and on such a lovely day, in front of an even lovelier girl." Gua said, flashing her a smile. He continued before Katara could reply, "Have you ever had the deep desire to be understood? Even if it's by a stranger?"

She knew the feeling. It was how she felt when she first met Aang and discovered he was a bender, and with Haru. Growing up as the last waterbender in the Southern Tribe meant that she had always felt like a bit of an outsider.Being a bender was supposed to give her a unique connection with her culture. A way to let the stories and practices of her ancestors live through her. Sometimes it felt like this power that was supposed to make her feel special, somehow marked her from the rest of her tribe.

When she encountered Aang and Haru, the first benders to enter her world she automatically wanted to know them. She wanted to know there was someone else out there that knew what it was like to bend the chi within not only themselves but everything around it, to have their soul reach out to meld with the very building blocks of the world around them.

She nodded in response and continued. "For some reason Katara, when I met you that's exactly what happened to me. I wanted to know more about you and I wanted you to understand me." He paused for a moment, like he wasn't sure if he should say the next part. "Especially for the work we have to do next."

Katara raised a questioning eyebrow. Gua shrugged and looked away. "I just mean I've done this trip before and we've run into our fair share of hostile ships- anything could happen."

"Look I get it, when I traveled with the Avatar we were chased from the South Pole to the North by the Fire Nation."

Gua's mouth dropped open a bit. "The Avatar? You're traveling together?" Katara cursed herself, she knew that Aang wasn't in any danger from Gua or the little village being stowed away in the medical houses of the northern tribe but she wasn't trying to accidentally let anything else important slip. Zuko after all was still wanted by just about every nation.

She figured she better give him something or he may decide to go investigating. "No." She said, probably a little too quickly. "He was severely injured in Ba Sing Se a few months ago. Me and my brother got separated from him. I don't even know if he's alive." She felt her eyes sting as at least the last part was true, as much as she didn't want to admit it to herself. Aang could already be dead by now and this entire thing could just be one last pointless shot into the void.

Gua's face fell, "so the Avatar is no more?"

Katara shrugged. "Well...I don't really know anything for sure. Like I said we got split up, it's just me and my brother. He's not a bender though so he's waiting for me back at camp."

She hoped that would be enough to satisfy Gua's curiosity. Afterall, she could say from first-hand experience, that Sokka was way less interesting than the Avatar.

Gua gave her a long look but didn't push the subject, likely sensing Katara's hesitation at the subject.

"Come on, we'll be headed out soon for the mission. I should show you what your job will be. After seeing you throw half the crew overboard it shouldn't be anything difficult for you."

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Gua turned to her offering her his arm, she found herself inadvertently blushing not knowing what he wanted. Surely he wasn't suggesting that they jump from here. All she ended up mustering was a prolonged "uhh".

He laughed, throwing his head back. "You should see your face right now. I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

"Hey! I'm not-"