Chapter 17: Gifts

" Jet!" Katara said angrily, " What are you doing here?!"

" I should be asking you the same thing!" Jet growled angrily, " Just what the hell are you doing with the prince of the damn fire nation Katara?! Huh?! He's the enimy!"

" He saved my life!" Katara said angrily, " He isn't my enemy any more!"

" What?!" Jet asked in shock.

Ashira had come out of her home when she heard a familiar voice yelling at Katara and decided to try and settle things... Before something bad happened...

" Jet!" Ashira said angrily, " We do not disrespect the prince or anyone else from the fire nation here! We live in peace here, and I for one, intend to keep it that way... Do you understand?"

" Yes grandmother..." Jet said in defeat.

" Grandmother?" Katara asked in surprise.

Katara walked as jet bowed grudgingly before disappearing into ashira's house, the door slamming soundly behind him...

" I'm very sorry about that..." Ashira said sadly, " I met jet a few months back, his family was killed in a fire nation raid... It's understandable, the hatred he feels, but I've done my best to show him that not everyone in the fire nation is bad... My husband, who passed away a few years ago, was actually a soldier from the fire nation... He was very kind, and did everything he could to ensure peace between his troops and our village... I was only fourteen at the time when I first met him... But he quickly captured my heart... After his announcement for the army to settle here, some of the other single soldiers settled down and fell in love with some of the other girls in the village..."

" Oh wow!" Katara said blushing, " And the other soldiers agreed for peace?! Just like that?!"

" Yes..." Ashira said smiling, " Aikon was a very kind and gentle man, as well as a high ranking fire nation officer... The villagers were afraid of them at first, but gradually grew to trust them, after a while... I became pregnant at age fourteen, with Aikon's first child... We named her Liyra, she is about thirty five years old now and has a family of her own... About five years after our daughter was born, we had a little boy, named Airo... But unfortunately, he passed away at the age of five..."

" What happened to him?" Katara asked.

" Bitten by a poisonous snake... The healers couldn't help him..." Ashira said sadly, " It wasn't until about twenty five years later, my husband and I had our second daughter, .Airra... I was forty nine years old when I became pregnant with her... She's eight years old now..."

" Wow..." Zuko said in amazement.

It was unheard of for a woman to be able to bare a child after the ageof forty...

" Indeed..." Ashira said beaming, " I thank the gods every day for my wonderful family, although I miss my husband terribly still..."

" They say that there's always a chance you'll find another soul mate..." Katara said sweetly, putting her hand on Ashira's shoulder, " I'm sure Aikon would want you to find someone else too..."

" Oh yes..." Ashira said smiling sadly, " Aikon often told me that close to the end, that if anything should happen to him, he wanted me to love again... He often threatened to haunt me even, if I refused to start looking for a suiter..."

" That's sweet that he wants you to love again..." Katara said warmly, " Isn't it romantic, Zuko?"

" No..." Zuko said snorting, " If I found a beautiful woman, I wouldn't want her to find someone else after I was gone... I'd haunt the hell out of my wife to keep her from being with any other guys!"

" Uh!" Katara said angrily, " That's mean Zuko!"

" Ok, ok..." Zuko said grinning mischievously, " Maybe I will haunt any man that comes near her instead!"

Ashira smiled knowingly as the pair continued to bicker playfully back and forth...

" So..." Ashira said, changing the subject, " How did come to know jet?"

Katara blushed when Zuko looked at her questioningly.

" He uh... Gave me my first kiss..." Katara said nervously, " It was a long time ago... And after what he tried to do, I don't even think I could stand to be friends with him..."

" Oh dear..." Ashira said sadly, " What did he do?"

" He tried to kill all the fire nation soldiers that inhabited a small town..." Katara said thinking back, " I'm a waterbender, so he tricked me and my friend aang into filling the damn full of water... He was planning on destroying the town and everyone in it! Just because the soldiers lived there too! But like this town, the townspeople and the soldiers learned to live in peace together! The soldiers even recognized me and my friends, yet they were all very kind to us... Jet was going to kill everyone! If my brother hadn't warned me and Aang, we would have helped him kill thousands of people!"

Prince Zuko grabbed Katara and held her as she burst into tears, his concern for the girl reminding Ashira of how kind and caring her Aikon had been... Suddenly, a horrible thought occurred to Katara and she looked at Ashira fearfully...

" Ashira, he doesn't still have a deep hatred for the fire nation, does he?!" Katara asked worriedly.

" I'm afraid so..." Ashira said sadly, " But I'm sure he wouldn't hurt anyone!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, an older man with golden eyes and long black hair was concealed in a red cloak, effectively blending in with the common folk shopping and talking just as ordinary people do... It was a relief to get away from the palace in the fire nation and just enjoy the weather for a change... It was nice to see his soldiers and the townspeople getting along so well, and it was nice not to be treated as a royal for a change... Ozi had grown tired of everyone bowing to him as of late... He missed just spending time with his daughter, his precious little princess... But most of all... He regretted... He regretted hurting his son all those years ago, just because the general had grown angry for Zuko's outburst in the war room, because the general wanted to sacrifice new recruits in order to do a sneak attack on Ba Sing Se's army... Prince Zuko had been right... Even Ozi himself was appalled by the idea... But Zuko had spoken out before he had the chance to address the idiot general... The council of five demanded that a fire duel take place immediately, to prove that the fire prince was indeed fit to become fire Lord one day... But the general refused to fight and was dishonorably discharged for refusing to duel... And so, the council had demanded that Ozi test his sons skills himself... It went horribly wrong... Instead of showing off his skills as a fire Bender, prince dropped to his knees and bowed before his father in fear... Even when he was younger, Zuko feared his father... A fact that bothered Ozi greatly... Growing furious because of the council wanting him and his son to fight, and seeing his son on his knees before him, his anger got the better of him, and he blasted prince Zuko in the face with a fire ball, which Zuko refused to block, because he thought his father intended to punish him for speaking out... Fire Lord Ozi was upset over what he'd done to his only son, but before he could say anything, one of the elders spoke up, talking about dishonoring the great fire nation and how weak thier prince truly was... Ozi felt the complete opposite then what the elders did... He was sorry for hurting his son, but fire Lord's weren't meant to feel sadness or remorse or fear... Only a show of power was permitted... And so, because of the elders insistence, Ozi banished his son on an impossible mission to find and capture the Avatar and bring him to the fire nation... He hadn't seen his son since... Ozi watched from across town as prince Zuko escorted a lovely young lady to the old woman's house across the street...

" Ursa..." Ozi whispered longingly, " You'd be so proud of how much our son has grown..."

Across the street at Ashira's house, Zuko helped Katara into the house as Ashira bustled in after them, quickly putting a kettle on the stove and starting on making a batch of sweet dumplings and meatbuns for her guests... Before too long, the entire house was filled with delicious smells... Suddenly, a little girl with light goldish green eyes and long, light brown hair can running into the kitchen and plopped herself down on prince Zuko's lap, causing the prince to sputter in surprise!

" Hiya! My name is Airra!" Airra said grinning,she had two front teeth missing, " Your really handsome! And your really a pretty lady!"

Airra pointed at Katara...

" You must be his girlfriend! You sure are pretty!" Airra said happily.

" Uh... Thanks..." Katara said blushing, " Your mommy sure makes beautiful dresses."

" I know!" Airra chirped happily, " All the ladies in the village love mommy's work! She makes all different sizes and colors too!"

" She definitely does..." Katara said smiling.

" Katara." Ashira said kindly, " Your welcome to try on your gowns upstairs if you like... There's a guest room on the first door to your right... Airra?"

" Yes Mommy!" Airra said hopping down from Zuko's lap and grabbing Katara's hand, " Come on, I'll show you!"

" Oh!" Katara exclaimed, " But I haven't even paid you for them yet!"

" Nonsense my dear..." Ashira said happily, " I've got plenty of gowns and plenty of customers, consider them a gift, since you had to deal with jets unpleasantness... I insist..."

" Alright..." Katara said uncertainly, " Thank you..."

When Airra led Katara upstairs to the guest room, Katara went behind the changing screen, happy to find all of her under sets and gowns laid out neatly on the bed... She picked the gold one, it had a shimmering dark blue dragon embroidered on it with light blue crystals for eyes... Ashira had also set out some new shoes and boots for her to try on as well... She chose a soft pair of boots that we're bleached and dyed light gold, the boots fit her perfectly, and looked very elegant with the style of her gown, which had a slit up one side to her knee... The silk felt wonderful against her warm skin and it felt wonderful to finally have new underwear on! Checking her mirror that she had taken the liberty of bringing with her from the ship, she checked to make sure her makeup wasn't smudged and stepped out from behind the changing screen... Airra was thrilled...

" Oooh!" Airra exclaimed excitedly, " You look like a princess!"

" Only because of the beautiful dress your mother made..." Katara said blushing and smiling at the little girl, " She has some beautiful designs..."

" In lots of colors too!" Airra said excitedly, "why did you only want blue ones? Do you not like any of the other pretty colors mommy had?!"

" Oh no, I loved every dress your mommy made!" Katara said smiling at the sweet little girl, "But, I didn't want to be selfish and buy up all your mommy's pretty dresses from all her other customers, that wouldn't be very nice of me..."

" Yes it would! Because then, mommy would be able to make even more pretty dresses!" Airra said happily, " She loves being able to sell the clothes and jewelry she makes, because she always loved doing that! Daddy found all sorts of gemstone mines and everything and left all his treasure mines to mommy so she can have fun doing what she does! It's always been a favorite hobby of hers and she's been able to provide a wonderful home for us with lots of yummy food! Plus she has her own restaurant on the other side of town! We'll be opening around noon!"

Meanwhile, downstairs, Ashira was telling prince Zuko about they're lives and how she was able to make a living, making gowns and jewelry, thanks to the money and mines her husband had left to her, along with the retirement money he'd gotten each month...

" May I see your other gowns that you make?" Prince Zuko asked, " I'm sure the ones Katara picked out are very beautiful, but I think she deserves more then only three, I'd like to buy some for her too..."

" She went through alot..." Ashira stated sadly, " Hasn't she?"

" Yes..." Prince Zuko said sadly, " It happened several months ago... She was severely injured and floating face down... I honestly thought she was dead when I first saw her... She was so pale..."

". She was violated... Wasn't she..." Ashira confirmed sadly.

" How did you know?!" Prince Zuko asked in shock...

" No young lady her age has need of a cane in order to walk, unless she was born with a muscle disorder or physically abused..." Ashira stated firmly, " How did it happen?"

" I'm almost positive that it was admiral Zhou that hurt her..." Zuko growled angrily.

Ashira gasped in outrage...

" That horrible man!" Ashira hissed angrily.

" You met him before I take it?" Zuko asked.

" Yes... That horrible man came here two years ago, right before my husband fell I'll and demanded i give him my youngest daughter to him as a bride!" Ashira said angrily, " She was only six at the time! My husband was furious and ordered him to leave, saying that he was a sick, twisted man... He swore that he wasn't going to consummate the marriage until her thirteenth birthday, but both my husband and I refused... A few days later, my husband fell severely ill, and the doctors had no idea what caused it... He died a week later of a terrible fever..."

" A fever?!" Prince Zuko said worriedly, " Oh no... Zhou used poisoned whips on Katara and she got a really bad fever from the poison!"

" You think admiral Zhou poisoned my husband too?!" Ashira exclaimed.

" Yes... It sounds like the same symptoms Katara had!" Zuko said angrily, " He had to have gotten it from an assassin or something!"

" Zuko! Get up here!" Katara suddenly screamed from the top of the stairs, " Hurry!"

Zuko and Ashira raced up the stares to find Airra, collapsed on the floor, her eyes glazed and unseeing as she cried in pain...

" Oh dear God's!" Ashira wailed worriedly, " What happened to her, Katara?!"

" I don't know!" Katara said worriedly, " She was telling me about how Jet had some kind of magic potion that he was thinking about sharing with all the fire nation people and how she got angry when he wouldn't let her try it because she was too young! I didn't realize until she collapsed that she drank something from a vile in his room!"

Katara was in shock as Airra's little body began to convulse, her forehead burning hot with fever... Prince Zuko gently pushed Katara away and felt the girls forehead, gasping at the burning heat that came from the girl...

" It's poison!" Zuko said angrily, " The same poison that killed your husband no doubt!"

" Oh dear God!" Ashira cried.

" Katara!" Zuko exclaimed, " You're able to bend any kind of liquid, right?!"

" Yes!" Katara exclaimed.

" Can you bend the poison out of her?!" Zuko asked.

" I'll try..." Katara said hesitantly...

Gathering all of her concentration, Katara began running her hands above Airra's still body... After several passes, the thick green poison finally bubbled up out of the girls mouth and into the vile sitting beside her... After a few minutes, Airra caughed and began gasping for breath before the color and light came back into her eyes...

" I'm sorry mommy..." Airra said tiredly, " Uncle jet said I was too young to drink that magic potion... I guess I should have listened..."

" Jet..." Katara growled angrily, " Oh no! Ashira, where is jet?!"

" Oh... Oh!" Ashira said devastated, " He said he was going hunting!"

" I'll give you one guess what he's gone hunting after!" Zuko said angrily, " Ashira, stay here with your little one! Katara, we've got to find jet before he hurts someone else!"

" Right!" Katara agreed.

Zuko grabbed Katara's hand and both teens rushed out the door, hoping and praying that they would get to jet in time... But as they raced through the streets of the town, all they were met with, was blood and devistation... The streets were lined with hundreds of bodies, all fire nation... Men, women, children and elderly... Some were still painfully gasping for breath, each had a gash where thier hearts were... They finally found jet, a few blocks down... He had just plunged his daggerinto a man's heart, his golden eyes full of shock, unsuspecting of the young man in front of him having any ill intent... Katara watched in horror as the man's knees buckled, a trickle of blood escaping and running down the corner of his mouth... Katara's anger flared...

" Jet! How could you?!" Katara cried angrily, " All those people! They were innocent!"

They were fire nation Katara!" Jet snarled, " They were monsters!"

Suddenly, there was a deep deafening rumble in the distance, before a giant wave of water crashed in to the city and threw jet into a nearby wall!

" How dare you!" Katara screamed, " You killed women and children too!"

" Wives of monsters and children of monsters that would have grown up to kill innocent people..." Jet said smugly, spitting up a bit of blood, " I did the world a favor..."

" What about Airra?!" Katara screamed angrily.

" What about Airra?!" Jet asked, suddenly worried, " What happened to her?!"

" She drank your magic potion!" Katara screamed, lashing jet with a massive water whip and sending him crashing into a wall, " She nearly died too!"

" She was half fire nation any way..." Jet said coldly, " Her Fate was unavoidable..."

Katara's eyes turned dark ocean blue as her anger took hold of her anew, stopping Zuko in his tracks... He'd never seen her so angry and deadly, especially towards someone who attacked his people... Zuko stood frozen as every ounce of water dropped to the ground around them, and widened in fear as jets body began to move and twist unnaturally to the rythem of Katara's movements!

" What are you doing to me?!" Jet gasped in pain, " I... I can't move my body!"

" I should kill you for all the innocent lives you took!" Katara screamed angrily, " But I can't take a life..."

Jet let out a sigh of relief, thinking that his torture was over, but with one quick movements, Katara been Jet's upper body until his face was pressed painfully into the ground... Katara then formed a collar of ice around his neck and fixed him to the ground before releasing her hold on him... Katara's eyes changed then, to her normal light sky blue color, before getting lighter and lighter blue... Then, they began to glow... It was almost like when the Avatar went into the Avatar state, but way way different! The water from the ocean that was soaked into the ground around them, began to glow an eerie vibrant light teal blue, before turning into a mist and exploding out into every street! Prince Zuko, afraid of the incredible power that light had, covered his face as he watched in awe... The glowing blue mist sank into every body that lay dead or bleeding on the ground, and the wounds on each body began to seal over and heal... Once every other person was healed, Katara walked over to the man in the cloak, who was barely conscious and watching her with wide fearful eyes... Katara sank down to her knees, the blue mist swirling ethereally around her, and gently placed her hands on his chest... Ozi gasped as a calming warmth spread throughout his body and suddenly, the pain was gone completely! He could feel his blood restoring itself as his wound was healed completely! He couldn't even feel the burn of the poison in his blood any longer! This incredible woman from the water tribe healed him and every one of his people who resided in this town! Ozi looked at the girl in gratitude, this mere wisp of a girl, had saved hundreds of lives! The glowing mist swirled around Katara, causing her hair to lengthen slightly, before turning back into regular mist and fading into the ground... And as the mist faded, Katara passed out from exhaustion...