Part I

Katara awoke to the sound of sparrow-monkeys chattering away at each other. She let out a bone-shaking yawn, quietly unzipped her sleeping bag, and sat up to survey her surroundings. The sun had not yet risen and a cool mist lazily caressed the ground around her.

Katara wrestled with her hair and glanced over to her left. Aang and Sokka were fast asleep in puddles of drool, mouths agape. She rolled her eyes and wondered how she ever managed to get a good night of sleep with their obnoxious snoring.

The young waterbender carefully maneuvered out of her blanket, making sure to keep quiet lest she disturb the two lumberjacks lying next to her. A brief thought of breakfast flashed through her mind and her stomach rumbled in agreement. Katara mentally scolded her belly, though. She had a different plan in mind, one that did not involve food. She raised her arm and took an experimental whiff. Yep. She was going to take a bath.

They had discovered a small lake near their campsite the previous day and Katara was ready to take advantage of the cool, clear water. She started to tiptoe across the clearing when she heard a soft crunch behind her. Toph was awake.

"Where you going, princess?"

"I, uh…" Katara hesitated. She did not like Toph too well, especially since she neglected her duties in camp. Why did she have to be so nosy? Katara responded rather crassly, "It's none of your business. But if you must know, I'm going down to the lake."

Toph picked at her big toe and shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Get up lazy-bones!" Whack! Aang snapped up, holding his nose.

"Ow! Toph!" he whined.

The blind girl stood over her conquered foe, a second rock hovering in her hand, poised to strike again. "It didn't hurt that much. Now come on, get up! Everyone else is."

Aang flopped back down onto his bag. "Ok, ok!" He flipped his palms backwards and pushed, creating a cushion of air that launched him up to his feet.

Toph rolled her eyes. "Very pretty, Twinkle Toes. Come on, Sokka's caught a duck for breakfast."

Aang snatched the rock out of Toph's open palm. "I don't eat meat, Toph. Remember?"

Toph shrugged. "Oh yeah. Too bad. It smells really good!"

The Avatar started to look through his pack, but noticed something was amiss. "Hey, where did Katara go?"

"You're girlfriend went down to the lake early this morning."

Aang blushed and suddenly became very interested in the tattoo on his left arm. "She's… she's not my girlfriend. Anyway, uh, what is she doing?"

"How should I know, Twinkle Toes?" Toph snapped. After an awkward moment of silence, she answered with a more apologetic tone. "Maybe she's getting apples for you and your wind buffalo."

"Sky bison."

"Whatever."

Katara gazed across the still water, taking in the beautiful sight. The sun sparkled across the rippling currents like a thousand tiny gems. The birds' chirping had ceased and the lake had taken on a serene quality. She inhaled deeply, letting the scent of fresh water empower her. Now this was a bathtub.

She unhooked her mother's necklace and carefully placed it on a flat rock near the shore. Next came her top, and then her leggings. Katara pinched the fabric wrapped around her torso and unwound the fabric, freeing her bosom.

She then turned to the lake, focusing on her breathing. She raised her hands and pushed outwards, feeling the tugging resistance of the water. It bubbled and frothed, fighting her control. Eventually, the girl beat the element- the water parted about five feet.

Katara, concentrating on keeping the water separated, slowly stepped into the space she had created. She sighed in appreciation as the cool mud squished in between her toes.

After a moment of contemplation, she released her hold on the water surrounding her. The cool liquid surged back into its rightful place, reaching up to Katara's knees. She closed her eyes and exhaled, letting calm feelings wash away her troubles.

Aang hiked through the woods, down towards the lake. He told everyone that he wanted to help Katara with the apples. It was the right thing to do. And as a bonus, he'd get to spend some time with her. He picked up an acorn, rolling it between his fingers. Maybe if he airbended the apples for her, she'd be impressed. Aang shook his head and tossed the acorn over his head.

"Nah. She never goes for that flashy stuff. Not like those Kyoshi village girls."

Aang walked on, scanning for a break in the trail where he could see the lake to get his bearings. Just then, he heard a faint splashing sound.

Curiosity peaked, he hunched down and crept over to the edge of the path. He figured some turtle-fish were slapping at the water. Maybe they were in trouble. During his days out of the iceberg, the young Avatar had seen many cruel animal traps. Judging by the amount of noise emanating from the lakeshore, the creature was in a lot of distress.

Aang clawed his way through branches and bushes stealthily so he would not frighten whatever was making such a commotion.

When he came to the edge of the brush, he looked up to discover what was making such a fuss.

After a relaxing soak, Katara became restless. She decided to take advantage of the peace and practice some waterbending. Although a relatively inexperienced bender, she had mastered a few basic techniques like the water whip.

She conjured up a few experimental water ropes and slapped them down them as hard as possible. Plumes of water shot up into the air, showering her with minuscule droplets. Katara grinned when she realized that she had just discovered a "shower" in her "bathtub."

Katara continued to wrestle the water around her, creating a wonderful mist that soaked her head to toe. Content with herself, she began gently guiding the water across her body, scrubbing away impurities.

Aang's jaw dropped, and he swore that his heart stopped beating for an unhealthy amount of time. When it started up again, it was beating so rapidly that he thought the sound would give away his position to the naked girl standing in the water.

Not just any naked girl.

It was Katara.