Breathe Again Chapter 1: Unshed Tears

Breathe Again Chapter 1: Unshed Tears

Sadly I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender It belongs to Nick and its Original creators.

Breathe Again
~Chapter 1: Blue Eyes Cry~

Katara watched as the handsome young boy approached the table, she tried to keep herself from giggling at his expression. %u2018Reminds me of a face Sokka might make%u2026%u2019 She thought to herself with a small smile, Jin beamed at the shy boy eagerly. %u201CLee!! She travels with the Avatar!%u201D She cried out, Katara blushed and tried to quiet her new friend down. %u201CShhh! I don%u2019t need all of Ba Sing Se to know that!%u201D She hissed with a light chuckle, Zuko gulped and tried to act interested.

If he was going to throw off the water tribe girl%u2019s attention from his true identity he would have to act nothing like his real self. %u201COh%u2026 Really? You%u2019re a very lucky girl, are you his girlfriend?%u201D He asked, Katara%u2019s eyes widened at his blunt questioning of her relationship with Aang. %u201CUm%u2026 Not really, he%u2019s more like a close friend and second brother to me%u2026%u201D

Jin%u2019s eyes widened, %u201COh yes! Your brother! Is he cute??%u201D She questioned with a sly smirk as she watched %u2018Lee%u2019 from the corner of her eye, Katara snorted. %u201CHe thinks so and he does have a couple of girls after him, but he%u2019s so cocky and unintelligent%u2026 But he is a good person, so I guess he can be cute.%u201D She finished the last line with sisterly pride, she hadn%u2019t thought about it much recently, but Sokka had matured a lot since they started their journey with Aang and she was proud of him.

Jin pouted slightly in disappointment as she took note that Lee didn%u2019t mind that she called another man cute, he had acted indifferent about the night that they had gone out and still seemed oblivious to the fact that she liked him.

Zuko was a bit surprised by the fact that the water tribe girl and the avatar weren%u2019t an item, he had thought for sure that they were when he had fought the fiery young bender up in the Northern Water Tribe.

Iroh peeked his head out around the corner only to find himself gaping at the group sitting at the table, %u201CLee! Could you come here for a moment? I need your help!%u201D Zuko smirked at his wily uncle%u2019s intentions, the old man had finally realized what was going on out in the main part of his shop.

%u201CNephew%u2026 Why is the Avatar%u2019s friend in our teashop? And more importantly why were you sitting with her?%u201D Iroh questioned smirking slightly as Zuko became ruffled catching the joke his uncle was implying. %u201CI didn%u2019t invite her if that%u2019s what you%u2019re asking%u2026%u201D He grumbled, the two men watched as the girl%u2019s chattered for several hours before falling asleep at their %u2018posts%u2019.
~
%u201CHey%u2026 You two! Sleeping on the job? Mushi! I am ashamed in you!%u201D Jin said in a mock angry voice as she stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. The two looked up at her groggily, %u201CEh?%u201D They echoed in unison, the young woman shook her head with a chuckle.

%u201CIt%u2019s time to close up boys%u2026 What would you ever do without me?%u201D She said as she began to work on cleaning the many teacups from their day of work, Iroh shook his head. %u201CNo I can handle those, you go home now my dear, I don%u2019t want to keep you any longer. You have done well with helping an old fool and his nephew.%u201D Jin nodded with a sigh, %u201CAlright, well see you tomorrow then.%u201D She said with a charming smile, waving good bye as she left them for the night.

~
Katara stared at her empty hotel, the silence causing the sinking feelings of dread and depression to re-enter her heart, she relieved herself of her outer garments and let down her hair for the night. The inviting bath house she had seen earlier seemed to extravagant for the meager amount of money that she had in her possession, so she had decided that she would have to find a good place to bathe and practice her bending. And with that as the last thought on her mind she allowed herself to slip into a deep and dreamless sleep%u2026

Everyday for the next month Katara would go to the Jasmine Dragon and talk with Jin about how things were going in the shop and in town, she had also taken the time to stop by the palace and speak with the King about any news her friends may have sent. It was always the same, he had heard nothing and Suki still refused to see her, the King said something about she and her Kyoshi warriors talking with his main general. She felt that the other young woman was blowing her off but tried to stomach the feeling for the love of her brother and the knowledge of his feelings for the Kyoshi warrior.

She had found the address to where Toph%u2019s mother was staying and had decided that she would go and see the earthbender, and she would hopefully find them happy together and not arguing or anything of the sort.

As she approached he rather large apartment she was not surprised, hers had been downsized since their group had dismembered and this apartment was about the same size as theirs had been. %u201CWell they are a rich family%u2026%u201D She said to remind herself to be on her best behavior which wouldn%u2019t be too hard to do.

Katara knocked on the large hard wood door only loud enough so that it was heard, she listened intently for any footsteps for several minutes before trying again, making her fist falls slightly louder this time. When there was still no response she tried the handle which easily turned to her surprise, she pushed the door open slowly. %u201CToph%u2026? What?%u201D Her eyes widened as she realized the house was vacant, there were no furnishings or anything lining the walls. Her heart seemed to skip a beat, had Toph gone home? And left her here without saying anything? Katara fell to her knees her blue eyes filled with unshed tears%u2026