Valentine's Day story! This has been aching to get out of my head for a while now, so I decided to do it for February! Ok, this is like a short story, but it's definitely not a one-shot. WARNING: ZUTARA AHEAD (what is wrong with me?) It will end with Kataang though because this is a Kataang story! Although it is mostly one-sided Kataang… so anyway, enjoy the first chapter! It's kinda short but oh well. All of the chapters will probably be short. Also, Western Airtemple Spoilers.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar. :(
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Glass Roses
Ch. 1
Letting Go
It was late. The full moon shined brightly into window of the Avatar's room as he sat on the sill. He hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep for a while now though. Katara had been acting strange lately. At first, when Zuko joined the Gaang, Katara had been hostile, using every chance she had to humiliate Zuko or say something mean to him. Lately though, she had gotten quiet and withdrawn. With every glance towards Zuko would come a blush before she quickly averted her eyes before any one else would see. But Aang would always catch her looks. Shortly after she began this strange behavior, she stopped her healing sessions with Aang. Slowly, the pains were returning to his back. Aang, being the good friend he is, didn't ask her about it though. But this strange behavior was what kept him up at night. He would lay for hours trying to think what could possibly be going on. Apparently whatever was going on with Katara just needed some time to work itself out.
Deciding to go waterbend, Aang made he way to the lake that was above the Airtemple. He walked slowly, taking in the night's pleasure. It had been awhile since he had been anywhere this quiet. He was content to listen to the chirp of the crickets, the bellows of the badger-frogs, and to feel the crisp night air enter and exit his lungs. The stars twinkled above and the full moon shown. It was a perfect night for waterbending. As he neared the lake, he heard voices; whispers in the night, gradually getting louder as he neared. Fearing it was the Fire Nation, Aang crouched low in the bushes and crept closer. He came closer and saw to his relief that the voices were coming from none other than Katara… and Zuko. He was about to emerge when he saw Katara, but he stayed hidden when Zuko came into view.
They were just splashing around the water; a coy water whip here, a teasing flame there. They were laughing. Aang felt his heart crack at the sight. He couldn't remember the last time he and Katara waterbended together and here she was with the newest member to their family. They continued to play in the moonlight for a while until they climbed out onto the edge of the lake. Silently they sat, never really facing each other. Katara would stare at the moon while Zuko stared out onto the lake and then they would shift their gaze elsewhere. Aang remained hidden in the bushes watching them silently. He was about to slip away when he heard Katara speak.
"Hey, Zuko?" she asked nervously.
"Yes?" he replied with the hint of curiosity in his voice.
"Have you ever felt… I mean hypothetically of course… like when you met someone that they were just the right person for you? Like, you get blushes when they are around and butterflies in your stomach? Like you just want to reach out and kiss them?" she asked. A scarlet blush was now rising to her cheeks. Zuko thought for a moment and contracted a blush of his own.
"Y-yeah," he stammered simply.
"What was she like?" Katara asked. "I mean just so I can look out for the same thing when the right guy comes along," Katara explained quickly, blushing some more.
"Well, for starters, she was the most beautiful girl I had seen anywhere. She was smart and funny. But she also had a bid of a temper…" Zuko led off and chuckled. "She was also the kindest person I had ever met. Like a mother saber-tooth moose-lion she was protective of her friends. She would just appear out of nowhere and help them out when they needed a hand. When a new friend came along, she was a bit mean to him at first, but it was only for the protection of her 'cubs'. In the end though, she became friends with the new guy. She was different though. I think that's what I liked about her the most. She had a fiery temper, but she was as calm as this lake when she finally opened up," Zuko said, all the while scooting closer to Katara. The scene was unfolding right before Aang's eyes and he could feel the fury… and hurt building up inside him.
"Really now?" Katara said almost… seductively as she too scooted closer to Zuko. "And what did this girl look like?" she asked as their faces were inches apart.
"If I remember correctly, she had the most beautiful sapphire blue eyes…" Zuko said closing the gap. At this point Aang had turned away. He braced himself for all of the anger, the pain, the sadness. But none of it came. This was Katara's choice he told himself. After all, how could Aang have expected Katara to like him the way he liked her? He was just a kid after all. And strangely, Aang felt remotely happy, although only a little. The hurt and pain was still eminent in his heart and on his face. But if Katara was happy then… he was happy too. He loved her enough to just let her go and be happy… even if it wasn't with him. And let her go he did.
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He got away from there quickly and quietly that night. Locked away in his room, he began to meditate. How long he meditated he wasn't sure, although later Sokka confirmed that it had been a week. Somehow, Aang had managed to unlock his seventh chakra. But at a price. For the week after his meditation, Aang lay in his room, practically in suspended animation, much like when he was in the iceberg. His emotions and his thoughts shut down and he was trapped in the Spirit World. After the seven days he finally came around. He almost expected Katara to be hovering anxiously over him; instead it was everyone but Katara and Zuko of course.
"Twinkle Toes! You finally came around!" Toph exclaimed throwing her arms around him as he woke up. If Aang hadn't been being strangled at the moment he would have been laughing at the fact that Toph had sparkly tears forming in her eyes. "We were so worried that we lost you for good this time! What happened?" she said excitedly.
"Guys, guys I'm all right. I just had to deal with some things in the Spirit World that's all," Aang said nonchalantly sitting up. Just then, his stomach gurgled. "Although, I could use something to eat," he said getting out of bed. He made his way to the gathering hall where he and his friends ate lunch. He could see Katara and Zuko sitting on the edge of the fountain and a steaming pot of rice and lentils sitting a few feet in front of them. Helping himself to a bowl, he couldn't help but feel hurt. Here he was standing in front of Katara and she hadn't said a word of greeting to him. HIM: her best friend who had practically been in a coma ALL WEEK! He would bet his status as Avatar that she hadn't come in once to see if he was doing all right. He sighed inwardly and made his way back to his room. As soon as his shirt had disappeared around the corner, Katara looked up.
"Who was that?" she asked Zuko. He shrugged and they continued on with their conversation.
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Aang decided to take a walk after he finished his lunch. He desperately wanted to feel the fresh air again and clear his head. The summer sun shined overhead. The birds twittered and other animals were scurrying about on their daily routines. When they had first arrived at the Airtemple and gone exploring, Aang had found an old platform in a tree that he and his friend Leia had built during the time when the nuns and monks congregated. After testing it out to see if the hundred-year-old wood would hold, Aang dubbed it a safe and pristine hideout. Bringing along a block of earth (he had learned to like making shapes with the earth) he jumped up to the platform.
He sat up there for a while doing various things. He playing his flute for a while, afterward resorting to cloud watching, and finally he remembered the block of earth. He messes around with it, making shapes like Appa and each of his friends, although he got frustrated after he couldn't seem to make Sokka's mouth big enough. He then changed the subjects of his sculptures to the scenery around him. The trees, the clouds, even the little family of turduckens that waddled on by were created out of his little block of earth. His eyes found a single rose growing nearby and he decided to create that next. Taking great care to carve out its perfect features, he replicated the beauty nature lay before him. After an hour of work, Aang held up his masterpiece. Now, unfortunately, Aang was a firebender. Instead of flying ten feet in the air when he sneezed like he used to, every now and then, flames would spew from his mouth. This was just the case when some pollen found its way into his nose. The flames shot out and made contact with the stone rose, setting it ablaze for the moment. Quickly reaching down and uncorking the flask of water that he always kept on him now, Aang quenched the flames. For a moment he only stared at the rose for a moment. The top half where the fire hit was as clear as the water of the lake and it glittered in the sun. Liking the result of the fire meeting the earth, Aang proceeded to set the rest of the rose on fire with a small, careful flame at his fingertips. Holding the finished product up to the sun, he smiled. Thus began the Glass Roses…
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I must have lost my mind. I wrote Zutara. Anyway! XD This story was DYING to get out, much like with the Wind Master. It's just one of those stories, although it won't be as epic and as long. Just a short little story with like 4 chapters. And no worries, I already have the story finished in my head so just tell me if you want me to continue and I shall! Um um um… forgot what I was going to say… OH YEAH! XD I think I saw a comic like this (the glass-bending) and that's kinda where this came from but I thought this idea was BEAUTIFUL in my head so yeah it had to get out. Any way review!