The Fire Within Us (ATLA Fanfic)

Chapter 3- Anika

TW: discussions of sexual assault and other violence

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"Rise and shine, Anika! You have a firebending lesson with Iroh in a couple minutes." Anika groggily opened her eyes and fixed them on her adoptive sister. Katara was cheerfully opening the curtains in Anika's room, filling the space with a sickening amount of over-bright light.

Anika groaned and buried her head into her pillow. Her next words were muffled. "So you heard about that."

"Who hasn't? I'm glad you're finally accepting your bending." Katara's voice softened. "It'll be good for you and help you move past some things."

"Eh. Maybe." Anika forced herself into a sitting position. She drew a circle on the ground with her toe and found herself blurting out the thing that had been bugging her since yesterday. "You told Zuko about my parents."

Katara froze in the middle of picking up an old apple core from the ground with two fingers. "It's kinda obvious, isn't it? You couldn't just bend fire out of nowhere. And I told white lies on all the important stuff." Katara crossed the room and dropped the apple in a trashcan.

"Well, you could have at least mentioned it to me." Anika pulled her pants on over the undergarments she slept in. "I guess what's done is done. So, what are you even doing at the palace? I thought you, Sokka, and Aang were helping move Fire Nation colonies from the Earth Kingdom."

Katara nodded. "We got all the new colonies out. Soon we'll begin working on the older, more stubborn ones that have been in the Earth Kingdom for decades. We wanted to stop by the palace to touch base with Zuko, and we even brought Toph along. Everyone's missed you since you decided to settle down here."

"What can I say? Palace life suits me," Anika joked as she pulled her tunic on. It was a deep blue with gold lining and embroidery tracing through it like little bursts of fire. Anika thought it matched her identity as a firebending member of the Water Tribe pretty well. "This diplomat position feels like my calling. I'm helping join a divided world into peace. But I've missed you, too. Let's all eat breakfast together after I tell Iroh I changed my mind about the training."

"Anika, y-"

"Katara, don't." Anika cut her off before she could argue. "I thought it over and I just can't."

"Okay," Katara murmured, disappointment creeping into the word.

Anika twisted her lips into a smile as she quickly ran a brush through her flowing locks. "Thanks for understanding, little sis." She gave Katara a quick hug as she passed, then stepped out into the now-familiar halls of the palace. It took her mere minutes to navigate her way through the elaborately winding halls and to the room Iroh was staying in. Zuko, Sokka, and Toph were all gathered in front of the door, grinning at her expectantly.

Anika sighed. "Guys-"

"Once you're a firebending master, the first thing you have to do is burn the crap out of Zuko's feet," Toph interrupted her.

"Yeah, Mr. Oh-look-at-me-I'm-the-Fire-Lord definitely needs a reality check," Sokka agreed with an elbow into Zuko's ribs.

"Hey! I'm the Fire Lord, buddy. You can't touch me without kissing my feet first."

Anika couldn't help but smile at their antics. They were dorks, but she loved them all the same.

Just then, the door opened and Iroh gazed out, sternly shaking his head at the little group. "What is going on out here? Firebending requires an immense amount of concentration. You all will have to leave until the lesson has concluded. Here." Iroh passed out cups of tea to the three lurkers. "These will help you wake up. Now Shoo."