ZenBenders - 2014

Tranquility

"It started like this," Katara, aka the woman in blue began.

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"Zuko!" Katara shouted. She ran toward him and threw her arms around his neck.

"Katara... you're... choking... me!" He gasped out. She held on tighter.

"I know. I should kill you after what you did!"

"Aang! Get your girlfriend off of me!" He stumbled a bit, as Katara's 'hug' turned into full out choking. Aang sighed.

"Spirits, not again."

Forming a rope out of air, he pulled his suddenly murderous girlfriend away from the young Fire Lord. It had been about two years since they defeated Fire Lord Ozai, and still the waterbender and the firebender fought frequently.

"What happened this time?" asked the exasperated airbender. Katara stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Zuko. Then her attention turned to Aang.

"When were you two going to tell me about the secret-?!" Zuko quickly clamped a hand over Katara's mouth.

"Not here!" He hissed.

"Aang, get the others and I'll show Katara... to a nice cup of tea." Zuko said, conveying a message only the airbender could understand. Aang nodded, and took off with a gust of wind.

"Tea? Tea?! You deliberately hide something like this from me, and you want me to drink tea?!"

The waterbender eyed the pond near the entrance to the large palace, as if planning to submerge the firebender in water. Zuko sighed.

"Katara, I need you to calm down-"

"I'm completely calm!" She yelled.

Several birds took flight out of the trees, dispersing among the clouds. The firebender shrunk back a bit.

"-so we can discuss this privately." He finished. Katara sighed.

"...Fine, but you better have a good reason!" The two walked along the Fire Nation roads, not saying anything for the longest time. Then Katara stopped.

"Have you forgotten that I also helped defeat Fire Lord Ozai? And Azula?" She asked. The current Fire Lord sighed.

"No. I could never forget. You saved my life, Katara. And for that I'm grateful, I owe you my life."

"Then why would you hide something like this from me?" She crossed her arms.

"Do you know how I found out, Zuko?"

"I-"

Katara stepped forward, cutting Zuko off mid sentence.

"Sokka - who somehow came into possession of cactus juice - started spouting off nonsense. Or at least, most of it was nonsense until he said,

'Zuko and Aang are going a top secret mission! I'm going. And Suki. And Toph too, but ssshhh, don't tell Katara.' "

Zuko brought his palm to his forehead, with an audible smack. They walked a little ways more, until they were in front of Iroh's tea shop. Zuko turned to Katara.

"Don't ever let Sokka have cactus juice - whatever that is - again." Katara raised an eyebrow.

"You think I let him have cactus juice? Clearly, you weren't there when Aang, Toph and I were stuck in a desert with him hopped up on that stuff."

The two laughed a little bit, as they entered the shop, and all eyes were on them. Aang looked a bit apprehensive.

"Zuko? Katara? Did something happen?" Katara shook her head.