Katara: A Private Life of the Bloodbender

Chapter I.

She went consenting, or else she was no leader... It was no one's place to say to her "It's time to make the offering".

- Mary Renault: The king must die (edited)

Through a heat of midday sun, Avatar Team with a few new members proceeded towards the Western Air temple. They trudged on foot barely, exhausted and disgruntled. The invasion wasn't successful and they were lucky to be still alive and relatively safe. Defeated and upset they reached their intended hideaway – rock pagodas, situated on nice shady spot with pleasantly blowing breeze, where they could cool down, rest and prepare their next progressions. Aang needs a firebending master and as they couldn't find anyone suitable, he went sullen and peevish.

Katara kept on trying not to lose her optimism and insight, although she was still very shocked by the result of their invasion. Concurrently she was trying to encourage Aang to a discussion about searching for his future firebending master. It wasn't easy to get well with him at this time, he didn't focus, didn't care. He was flying on his glider among the temple towers and every time Katara tried to talk to him, he flew away with "Sorry, Katara, I can't hear you! The wind is too loud in my ears!" excuse. When his friends made him stay on the ground a talk to him, he didn't care about what they're saying and contested every idea they had. For Katara, it was uneasy to calm him down, but she kept on the idea of rediscovering the firebender called Yeong Yeong, who used to teach him once before.

In the same time, while the team was discussing, an invader stealthily moved through the temple. His scarred face was clearly demonstrating his identity. Prince Zuko has token very unprecedented way – he wanted to become Avatar's friend and defeat his father and crazy sister with a support of all Avatar Team members. But there was one big problem – how to get the trust of people who he chased and tortured for so long? Why should they trust him? Avatar's friends were sure they're alone in the temple, which is abandoned for more than one hundred years. They didn't imagine that Zuko could chase them again.

The way Zuko used to join the team was pretty odd, but definitely very ambitious. It was afternoon, friends were still debating, when suddenly, by warning of blind Toph they turned their sight on the edge of the square. Hard to say what were they expecting, but definitely not this one; Zuko was standing in front of them, with awkward smile like if he just came to greet his old friends. He raised his right hand and smiled shyly.

"Hello, Zuko here..."

Everybody froze in dismay, trying to collect oneself. Is this a joke, or another trick? What is he doing here? How did he find them? Why is he acting like this? What the hell this means?! They prepared to defence immediately, expecting the fight. And Katara, the longer she was staring at him, the more her shock and fear were turning into rage and hard aggression. Zuko's betrayal still hurts in her core, her memory simply couldn't forget. She really hates this scarred dud, the reliance that had been broken once is impossible to fix. She gawped at him in threatening grimace, deep lines appeared on her skin from nose to forehead and her libs corrugated in narrow venomous wrinkle. She stepped out of line and spoke to him ferociously with rough, unfeminine voice. The stream of water turned around her body like a snake.

"Make a scene and you're dead! Don't mess with me!" was her position showing. "You will irritate me and I'll drown you in the temple fountain!"

Zuko started with defending himself, desperately trying to not show his fear and uncertainty, but it was too strong to control. He made a big mistake when he owned up that "the Combustion man", who attacked Avatar Team many times and nearly killed them, was sent by Zuko personally. In that moment, it looked like his all chances are gone. Katara's wrath rose enormously. She couldn't control herself anymore (water and air nations are not really used to be so violent). Zuko, trying to not look as a coward, was stepping closer and closer to Aang, but then he got as close as Katara couldn't longer tolerate. She set off against him like an attacking viper and smashed him away with stream of water. He dropped to the ground a few meters away, completely wet, trying to stand up from the puddle. Leaning on his arms, he gazed in front of him in defenceless position. Katara was standing at the head of her team, nobody dared neither to come closer to her, nor to impede her. Aang was just standing behind and frowning. Katara's strong voice echoed through the temple walls, while she was warning Zuko for the last time, she was coming closer and closer to him with no fear, firmly, leading the pack, that it was clear to Zuko that underrating Katara's strength was a bad idea.