Freedom

Chapter 44: The Children They Once Were

They left Piandao's home, with their bellies full and their hearts happy. Sokka walked, sword in hand, the most content anyone had seen him in weeks. His usual scowl was replaced with a lighthearted grin, excited to continue on their journey ahead.

The group left by morning light the next day, eager to keep moving. As much as they enjoyed their time in the small village, they knew they couldn't stay anywhere for too long. It felt as though the eclipse was just out of reach, and they were anxious to pull it into motion.

Katara watched as Zuko placed his pack on the side of the saddle and offered to steer Appa. Aang looked back at him with something between shock and skepticism. He opened his mouth to politely decline but as the words were coming out of his mouth, Appa licked Zuko from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Everyone looked at them with surprise, to which Zuko just awkwardly chuckled.

Aang nodded, stepping aside and happily climbing into the saddle. He settled himself right next to Katara, who had a needle and thread in one hand and a pair of Sokka's pants in the other.  There was no better time to mend them then while they were flying. But still she held on irritated look on her face before she spoke, "If I have to mend one more pair of pants of yours, I'm freezing them onto you"

Sokka shrugged, "I'm a man" he leaned back into the saddle, throwing his hands behind his head, "I break things, it's what I do"

"I don't see Katara mending Zuko's pants very often" Toph retorted, finding her own comfortable position in the saddle.

Zuko didn't look back at them before he spoke, "Master Piandao must have skipped that lesson" he joked dryly. Everyone bust out into a fit of giggles, all except Sokka who sputtered like a fish out of water, looking for his retort, but coming up empty.

They all fell into a comfortable silence between each other. Sokka almost immediately fell asleep against the saddle, his mouth hanging open and a drop of drool hanging dangerously from his lip. Toph held her piece of space rock in her hand, creating shapes and moving them in between each other. Flying wasn't exactly the easiest thing for her; the space rock had become her security blanket, always in between her fingers when they were in the air. Aang watched the clouds as they flew by, and watched as they parted ways when they passed. It was best for them to fly at cloud level whenever possible. They couldn't risk someone looking up into the sky and seeing a flying bison go by.

Katara found herself trying not to stare towards the man that plagued her thoughts. He looked straight ahead, focusing on the clouds in front of him. If he looked behind him, he would catch Katara's eye, but neither of them wanted that to happen. If that were the case, they would have to admit what was brewing between them.

Katara knew she couldn't say yes to going with Zuko. Deep down, Zuko knew the same. It was just who would say it first.

He wanted her to, desperately. But if he knew Katara at all, he knew she would feel compelled to stay with Aang. He knew that leaving Aang, even just for a little while would be a betrayal in her mind. As much as it put a pit in his stomach to not be beside her in a battle like this, he knew her better then that.

People were going to lose their lives in a battle like this. Maybe not everyone could admit that, but Zuko could. Katara could do the same.

Katara looked around at her friends and silently prayed to any divine deity that would listen that all of her friends made it out alive. She couldn't imagine living in a world without a single one of them.

But even still, she couldn't let anyone know the knot in her stomach, her worry. She was always the one filled to the brim with hope and wisdom. But the war had brought out different things in all of them.