Memories from Western Airtemple
It's Fine Because I Say So
Memories from Western Air Temple
Chapter 20
It's Fine Because I Say So
The situation between Aang and Zuko worried Katara. More than simply worried, actually. It was severely threatening her mental stability. There was just too much wrong with the way Aang almost fawned over the prince, who had been their enemy for months before joining them without any explanation that would have set Katara’s mind at ease.
Aang was an affectionate person; Katara knew this better than anyone. And yet she could not understand why Aang insisted on hugging the firebender at every turn. The young boy had not been nearly as…clingy with any other member of their group at any point of time. It seemed as if the two had become inseparable, literally so with the way Aang’s arms were constantly around Zuko’s midriff or elbow.
And last night the two boys had slept next to each other. Katara had been horrified by the very thought of Zuko so close to Aang when she was unconscious and would have been ready to fight to the end to keep the firebender away from the young boy if it had not been for the fact that Zuko had also seemed extremely reluctant to sleep next to Aang. In the end Aang had gotten his way, however, and Katara had strained to hear the whispered conversation the two shared before falling asleep, with no success whatsoever at interpreting the hushed words that had been spoken between the pair.
When morning had come neither Aang nor Zuko had been asleep by the time Katara rose. The two boys had been practising firebending outside and Katara wondered just how much earlier than her the two had woken up. A quick question to Toph revealed that Zuko actually rose with the sun, a fact that unnerved Katara, since she had never had the strength to wake up at sunrise. Still, it seemed that Zuko had not been up to anything at all that morning and the waterbender had been forced to admit, even if privately inside her own mind, that perhaps she did not need to worry about Zuko doing anything to anyone in their sleep.
But Katara was still not willing to go through another night with an Aang and Zuko –only corner. Reformed or not, the firebender was not sleeping right next to Aang for another night. Katara doubted that she could just tell the prince to back off, however, so she tried to reason with the person who had orchestrated the whole thing.
As soon as the firebending practise came to an end Katara cornered Aang for a stern talking-to.
“I really don’t think you should spend so much time with Zuko”, the girl spoke and Aang merely blinked at her in confusion before questioning: “Why not?”
“You’re forcing yourself on him”, Katara blurted out, unable to stand the way Aang did not seem to understand just how many things were wrong with his relationship with Zuko. “All the time you’re hugging him and Zuko is clearly uncomfortable with it all.”
“But Katara, I can’t just stop all of a sudden”, Aang spoke in a manner that made Katara suddenly feel like Aang was trying to right her wrongs instead of it being the other way around. “Zuko needs affection, Katara. He’s been hurt at one point but I don’t know how, so the best way to help him past that hurt is through affection.”
Hurt. It was true that many times Zuko’s behaviour reminded Katara of someone protecting an injury of sorts but she really did not agree with Aang on his methods and so she spoke: “Even if he is hurt, I still don’t think he likes it much when you invade his personal space all the time.”
“He needs to get used to it”, Aang explained with a wide smile. “He may not appreciate what I’m doing right now but perhaps when he’s better, he will see that he needed it.” Aang then turned his head around, scouting the area. “Now, if you don’t mind, I was supposed to drag Zuko to go swimming with me.”
“How about you take Sokka along for some male bonding?” Katara suggested then, seeing that she could not change Aang’s decision. Perhaps she could help him then, she figured. Because the sooner Zuko settled down with them and stopped being so ‘hurt’ to Aang, the sooner Aang would stop coddling the firebender.
To be continued...