The Honor of Love (ATLA fanfic)

5. Haru

After a full night of flying, we eventually landed nearby a forest. Sokka was going to look for food while Katara was doing some laundry. I decided to take some time for myself and headed out to an open field with my notebook. Although I wouldn't want to be even associated with any the fire nation or Zuko, I did want to pick up my old craft firebending. I don't want to admit, but I missed it terrible. It was a way to release my anger and to get some exercise. And I because I was pretty darn good at it.

I took my stance and I started doing some breathing exercises. I breathed in and out, very deeply. In through the nose, out through the mouth. With every exhale, I felt my breath getting warmer and warmer. Steam was coming out of my nose and when I exhaled deeply, flames shot out of my nostrils. I let the energy flow through my body and when I extended my arm, a huge wave of fire shot out of it.

I smiled and started to focus. I kicked around, I was boxing to every direction, spinning around like a madman. I felt my body releasing the physical tension that I had, that I had developed over the last few years. There were huge waves of flames all around me, a beautiful and powerful sensation. I stopped spinning and kicking and I sat down on the earth, sweating and panting. "THAT WAS AMAZING! " Aang yelled and he rushed up to me to sit down next to me, "You have to teach me!"

"Thanks Aang," I panted, "but I am not going to teach you." Aang smile turned upside down. "Why not?" He asked, "I have to learn it." I smiled and took a sip of water. I looked at him thoroughly. "This is the first firebending I did in years. What I just did? I can't even call that real firebending. It was my expression of anger and emotions. Firebending should not be done full of rage or emotions. It can cause more harm than good." Aang shrugged. "Besides," I said as I stood up, "You have to learn waterbending, then earthbending and then firebending."

"I know, but I can learn a little bit already, right?" Aang said hopeful. "Aang," I started and I sighed, "you are doing waterbending now. It is the opposite of firebending. If you try and learn both and a time, it will be messy. Just trust me on this one, ok? When the time comes, i'll teach you everything I know, deal?" Aang nodded. "Deal." He replied and he gave me a big hug. "Let's go back to the camp, Sokka must be back by now with dinner."

When Aang and I arrived back in the camp, Sokka did not return yet. I helped Katara with folding the laundry and after we folded the last bit, he came back. "Great you are back! What's for dinner?" Aang asked curiously as he looked in Sokka's bag. "We've got a few options," Sokka said as he held up something that looks like a rock, "First, round nuts," he said as he put it on the ground and grabbed another one, "and some kind of oval-shaped nuts," as he laid it next to the other one, "and some kind of rock-shaped nuts, which might just be rocks."

Katara and I exchanged looks and we grabbed one of the nuts. Mine was definitely a rock. "Seriously, what else you've got?" I asked. I almost jumped on my feet when we heard a very loud bang. "What was that?" Sokka asked. Another loud thud. "It's coming from over there!" Aang said as he pointed towards the trees. "Shouldn't we run away from huge boom and not towards them?" Sokka yelled after us as we ran towards the sound.

We hid behind a fallen tree and looked over the edge. We saw a young man, a few years older than me, moving a giant rock and hitting it in the wall. "An earthbender!" Katara gasped. "Let's go meet him!" Aang suggested happily. "He looks dangerous," Sokka mumbled. "We better approach him cautiously." I looked at Sokka and nodded in agreement. I looked to my right to also nod to Katara but she was gone. Confused I looked around but saw her standing in front of the young man.

"Hello there! My name is Katara, what is your name?" She yelled. The young man gasped and quickly dropped his rock. He ran away, and behind him, he blocked the way by destroying the grove he was standing in.
"Nice to meet you!" Aang yelled behind him.
"I just wanted to say hi..." Katara said disappointed.
"He's gotta be running towards something, like a village," Aang said thoughtful, "and I bet that village has a market." Aang said happily.
"Which means no nuts for dinner!" I said happily. "Hey, I worked hard to get those nuts!" Sokka said annoyed.