Katara, of the Fire Nation

Chapter 9

Kiki becomes more infuriating by the day, pretending she is holier than everyone else.

"Now who's showing off?" Katara asks as Kiki flaunts her bending, showing Aang how good she's getting.

"It's not my fault that you can't bend as well as me," Kiki says, "All you know is swords."

"I can bend just as well as you," Katara snaps, she and Kiki fight, they bend against each other, Kiki get bends better than Katara.

"I can't blame you," Kiki smiles, watching as Katara stands to her feet and squeezes water from her hair, "I doubt the Fire Nation taught you anything."

"I wasn't a prisoner there," Katara explains again.

"Could you leave at any time?" Kiki asks, "Were you free to do as you pleased?"

Katara frowns and then looks away from Kiki who smiles smugly.

"Hey, Sokka, look at this!" Aang interrupts, picking up a spear, "It's a spear made from a whale tooth!"

Sokka identifies the spear as a water tribe weapon, the gang find a water tribe boat on the nearby beach.

"Is this dad's boat?" Katara asks, running her hand over the ship.

"No," Sokka says, "But it's part of his fleet."

"This is my dad's boat," Kiki gapes, staring at the ship in wonder.

That night as they all sleep by the ship, Sokka alerts them that Bato has returned.

Both Kiki and Sokka race to Bato and embrace him, Katara hangs back and when Bato sees her she avoids his stare.

"Katara?" Bato gapes, moving past Kiki and Sokka, "Could it be?"

"Hi Bato," Katara says, keeping her distance, Bato stands in front of Katara and then smiles widely.

"How are you here?" he asks, a strong wind blows and they all shiver. Bato takes them back to his place in the nearby nunnery.

"It's just like home," Sokka and Kiki gape, staring at the room.

Katara feels out of place, but soon warms up to Bato.

Bato explains that he's waiting for a map to a rendezvous point to meet back with Sokka and Katara's father.

"Would you like to come with me?" Bato asks, "Your father will be so excited to see you again."

"We can't!" Kiki exclaims, "We need to take Aang to the Northern Water Tribe to get him a water bending master!"

"She's right," Katara says, "Aang needs our help. We don't have time to defer from our mission."

"I am so sorry for what happened to you," Bato says, as Katara eats a bowl of sea prunes, "What my family has done to yours, it was inexcusable, I left with your father and helped try and find you, we were devastated when we couldn't find you, we expected the worst."

"It wasn't so bad," Katara says, rolling her stiff shoulder, "Not all the time."

"What exactly did happen?" Kiki asks, "You've always avoided talking about it."

"Leave her be," Bato says, chiding his daughter, "She does not need to tell us anything."

Katara smiles at Bato, she harbours no harsh feelings towards him.

"Hey everyone," Aang says, waving as he enters the room, "Sorry I was away for so long!"

"Oh, hi Aang," Katara says, looking over her shoulder, "I didn't realise you left."