Reborn In Water || ATLA

The River

The Waterbending Scroll  Fin

"Baptized in the river, I've seen a vision of my life and I wanna be delivered.  In the city was a sinner, I've done a lot of things wrong but I swear I'm a believer.  Like the prodigal son, I was out on my own now I'm trying to find my way back home. Baptized in the river, I'm delivered, I'm delivered." - Good Charlotte ft. M. Shadows & Synyster Gates

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"You're taking the scroll to go practice, aren't you?"

Katara nearly jumped out of her skin. The moon was high in the sky and the boys were already asleep so thought it was safe to assume Aelita had been too. She was creeping towards the bag the scroll was tucked into when she was caught.

"Yes." Katara hung her head in shame

"I can't sleep," Aelita whispered back to not wake the boys, pulling on her boots. "I'll go with you."

Katara was less than thrilled but she knew she had no grounds to object. The girls passed a still wide awake Mushu and hushed him on their way out of camp, telling him to stay put.

"Why were you awake?" Katara asked Aelita as they walked.

"I think it will take me time to adjust honestly." She admitted, feeling no need to lie. While she knew how to play stoic in a room full of nobles Sukomo had always taught his daughter not to be afraid of how she felt. He often told her that their feelings were what kept them human. "This is so different. Nights have always been hard on me but I used to have the swaying of the boat to focus on and when that didn't work I had Iroh and Zuko." She cut herself off at the mention of their names knowing how the others viewed them.

"Do you miss them?" Katara asked as they came to an open section of the river. If Aelita was gonna be sticking around she wanted to understand her better.

"I do. I know it won't just go away either. Iroh was the closest thing I had to family and I know to you Zuko was is a monster but he's been my friend as long as I've known him. We did everything together ever since we were kids back home." Aelita bent down to pick up a few small pieces of stray wood and lit them on fire to give them some light. "But I have to do what I have to do. Duty over self, all for the greater good."

"Do you really believe that?" Katara questioned almost in shock. That was a big commitment for a girl whom she had learned last night was only a few months older than her.

"It's been ingrained in me for as long as I can remember. I might have been born on a different side but I was a child of war just like you. In the Fire Nation, we're raised with no other option but victory. Duty is absolute."The grey-haired girl grew quiet as her mind drifted to her childhood but she quickly brought herself back to the present. Taking the scroll from the waterbenders hands she opened it and studied the first sequence. "Let's see if we can perfect the water whip."

The two girls practiced long into the night with little progress on one side. Katara's growing frustration was only making things harder for her. Aelita had to chuckle at one point, earning her a very unpleasant look from the other girl.

"I'm sorry." She said quieting my laughter. "You just remind me of Zuko, especially when we were younger. He always had to do everything perfectly on the first try that way he felt like he was keeping up with his sister and me. He had to be the ideal son."

"Isn't he older than you?" Katara asked quizzically. "Shouldn't he have been better than you?"

"By two years. Azula was his younger sister. We were the same age and growing up people threw the word prodigy around a lot to describe us. Zuko hated it because as the first born son he had all of this pressure on him so if we moved faster than him through training he would get so upset. He'd get himself so mad he couldn't focus on what he was doing and then when we were alone he'd throw a fit." Aelita explained and Katara had a hard time imagining Zuko ever struggling with his firebending. "His bending didn't start to flourish until it was just the two of us."