Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Phantoms ❯ Stories Over Tea ( Chapter 2 )

Phantoms

Chapter Two: Stories Over Tea

Katara led him into the abode, and Aang took careful note of what he saw. It was small, and had only two rooms. The beds rested in the corner- two of them- and a cooking area was spaced against the wall. A small table for eating stood in the middle. He could not see what was in the second room.

“Katara…” he started, then stopped when he noted the young boy playing beneath the table with what looked like a carved wood chip. “Is that…?” He didn't quite know how to phrase the question.

“My son,” she answered, turning to the small stove. “Yes, he is.”

“Oh.” He was uncertain to that piece of information. Since when did Katara have a son?

“It was the business I had to attend to,” she answered his thoughts, placing a kettle of water on the stove. “This is why I ran off.”

He blinked quickly, and waved awkwardly to the child. “Who's-”

“Not that question,” she responded simply. “Not yet. You have others, I'm sure.”

She was being too calm about the situation. No, she was acting cold to him. He stared at her, waiting for the Katara he knew to jump up and hug him, or-or-or… do something.

“Why here?” he finally asked, hoping for some emotion to break into her voice.

“No one knew me here.” She walked over to him, nodding to the chairs around the table. There were three, he thought idly. Why are there three? “I couldn't go back to my tribe pregnant. There are… rules. Besides, imagine Sokka's face.”

He smiled, and he saw one twitch at her lips. It faded quickly, though, and she imagined her elder brother.

“You could've told us,” he decided for the diplomatic route. There was no need to bring anger or surprise into this. He could handle this maturely… He hoped.

“No, I couldn't. I know you better than anyone else. I know my brother. It was a delicate situation.”

She was right, and he knew it, and there was no point in arguing. Once again he tried his reasonable approach, keeping himself level headed. He felt like yelling, shouting, maybe blaming her for something, but with a soft breath he calmed himself.

“What was the situation?” he decided to ask. Skirting around the question she refused to answer. It was a safe course.

She shook her head, standing and walking over the tea she was brewing. “I had to walk away from it all, where I could handle this privately. Whatever pains I caused…” She gave a glance to her son. “I am sorry.”

Her emotions were lacking, and he could only stare. There was something wrong with them, he thought, something wrong with the fact that they acted like this. As if it were a formal visit.

“Tell me what happened,” he said decisively. It was an order, and she glared at him a split instant before pulling the child from beneath the table and settling him in her lap.

“I guess…” She sighed, bowing her head. “You deserve to hear the story, and so does he. I just never thought I'd have to tell it.”

The melancholy in her voice grew. Aang wanted to reach out and give her a reassuring touch, maybe even hug her to give her comfort. But she clutched the boy tighter.

“What's his name?” he decided on. It seemed a safe question, a way to get her started.

She glanced at him. “Ryuu.”

He tried to remain impassive at that. But the name sent a shiver through him. It was a Fire Nation name, and he wondered why on earth she would decide to name him that.

She caught his thoughts. “It is a Fire Nation name. I named him for his great uncle.”

He blinked quickly. “Great uncle? Who?”

She shuffled uncertainly. Even Ryuu had noticed his mother's mood and gave a quiet coo.

“You remember Iroh.”

He did. The elderly man who was one of the nicest fire-benders he'd ever met. Uncle though? He didn't recall…

His eyes went wide, and he almost jumped up. “You don't mean-”

The door clattered open, and they turned to the newcomer. A girl, just a little younger than Katara, soft brown hair chopped at her chin, and she seemed oblivious to the Avatar sitting at the table.

“Katara,” she said, swinging her bag to rest beside the door. “I swear that man is torture! You…” She stopped. “You have company.”

“Tuli,” Katara sighed, motioning to Aang. “This is-”

“Oh my…” Tuli gasped. “You brought the Avatar here! Oh you are pure evil!”

Katara laughed. “It's not a big deal. This is Aang.”

“It's the fricking Avatar, Katara. Don't you dare tell me it's not a big deal!”

She held up her hands in a symbol of submission. “Fine. Fuss. I'm going to put Ryuu up for his nap.”

Tuli jumped up and down. “You could've warned me. I got held up by Avan again, damn you.”

“Why me?”

“Because he always stops me to talk about you.”

Katara rolled her eyes. There was a change in her personality, Aang noticed. She was much more comfortable now, much happier too.

“He's always so mean to me. He thinks Ryuu's a menace.”

“I have to agree with him there.”

Tuli turned and remembered Aang was there.

“Ah! Our guest of honor! What do we have to eat?”

“It's fine,” Aang side with a chuckle. “I just wanted to see Katara.”

She stopped completely. “…Did you know Katara?”

“Uh, yeah. We used to travel together.”

“WHAT?!”

Katara gave a frustrated sigh. “You didn't have to-“

“Katara! You could've told me! And I thought you were just a refuge from the war!”

She shrugged. “Keep it down. He's impossible to put to sleep.”

“So…” Tuli sat down, waiting for Katara to finish. “…I'm sorry, you knew Katara?”

He nodded.

“How exactly…?”

“I rescued him from an iceberg.”

Katara began pouring out the tea.

Tuli leaned forward intently, folding her hands to rest her chin on. “Are you gonna tell a story now?”

Katara and Aang glanced at each other.

“Do you want to start?” she asked.

It was a compromise, he could tell. Together they would tell their story of defeating the Fire Lord, then she would share her story. He'd already figured out who the father might be, thanks to her hints, but as he saw it, that was impossible, and he refused to admit it, not until she did.

><><><><

It was a dark night.

She moved into the village, nothing left but ashes. She knew he would still be here, and he was.

“What are you doing here?”

He'd noticed her before she'd even seen him. But there he was, in the middle, stooping over the body that had fallen hours earlier. She felt weary just looking at him, and for a moment she wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep right there.

She moved forward. “I wanted to help, but it might be too late.”

He didn't look up.

“…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…”

His body slumped back. “He's dead. He's been dead for a long time.”

She stepped forward, kneeling beside the body. All the warmth had disappeared, and she could see the calm through his features.

“Are you alright?”

That was a stupid question. She didn't need to see his face to feel his grief, and she placed a hand on his arm. Instantly he flinched her off.

“You should step back,” he said as he stood.

“What are you-”

He punched his fist at the body, and fire erupted before him. The body caught, and she fell backwards with a cry.

“What are you doing?” she shouted.

Then she stopped herself. It was obvious this was some sort of ritual for the dead. In the Water Tribes, the body was wrapped and thrust into the ocean. In the Fire Nation, it must be to burn the body.

They stood over the flames, and she realized the smell of the dead was stronger now. She covered her mouth.

“You should leave.” His voice was softer now. For the first time she looked at his face.

“Are you okay? You shouldn't stay by yourself. You're in danger, aren't you? You could…”

“Leave.”

His orders were countered by her defiance.

“No.”

She was tired, she realized. She stepped away from the flames in fear she might fall into them. He noticed her unsteadiness and sighed, reaching over to steady her. She felt his warmth and couldn't help but her let her eyes droop.

“You're not falling asleep on me.”

She shook her head, trying not to give into her urge to fall asleep right there.

“You should…” Keep a clear head, she thought. “You could join us. I know you're after the Avatar, but you seem to share the same enemy. You couldn't… Stop trying to hunt Aang down?”

She couldn't keep her eyes open. She felt him let her down, kneeling down so she could lean against him.

The next day, Katara returned to wake everyone up, and announce they might have a new ally.

Notes:

Um… I think we've all figured it out.

Ryuu is a name that means “dragon.” Iroh being the Dragon of the North or something like that.

Yeah, it's set after we get Toph or whatever her name is.

It's really hard to write this while convincing an Xian his religion isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I'm working on longer chapters. I'm really trying.

Now, to my other seventy stories…