Avatar, The Last Airbender: Wherever You May Be

A/N: Um, hi. So a good…year… o.O …

I can only beg for forgiveness…

Thanks to pclark who sent me the latest message about WYMB asking when I was going to update and actually seemed to make me want to get it posted. Maybe because I knew it had been a while (but seriously, did not think it had been a year).

Read, enjoy, and hate me, because I'm posting this without actually adding anything that would make this seem like a conclusion of any solid types. In the coming week there may be another add on to this that semblance of an editing, but you know how I am now :)

Long (eh) without any breaks. But hooray for Katara. Read to find out why.

Wherever You May Be

Chapter 12

sSSs

She only remembered the mysterious letter the next day as she was cleaning up the dishes from breakfast.

Leaving the dishes in the sink she rushed back upstairs to her bedroom, finding it on her desk next to all the letters she would be sending out that day where she had left it. The paper wasn't the same quality of that used by the palace and businesses, she noted, but more along what most households carried. Breaking the wax seal that held it close, she scanned it to see who sent it, pausing at the name.

"Mistress Etsu," she whispered in surprise.

That was the woman she needed to find about reversing her blocked chi paths, she thought, going and sitting on the bed. Wondering if this is what Aang felt like when Guru Pathik had written to him during the war she read the letter in hopes of learning how the woman had known had to contact her before she had even arrived.

'Greetings Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe.

My name is Mistress Etsu, formerly of the Fire Nation and currently of Ba Sing Se. I have been told by the powers that be of your arrival here in Ba Sing Se and the situation regarding you waterbending abilities or, more importantly, the lack thereof. I believe I may be of help in returning your bending to you.

The day after your arrival here in Ba Sing Se you are to come to my house in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. I advise you to not put off our meeting as the sooner we meet the better.

Also, you may tell the Fire Lord to remain at your current place of residence; there is no need for him to accompany you.

The Fates bless you,

Mistress Etsu'

"That's just unnerving," she decided, looking at the directions given to find Mistress Etsu's house.

She lived a good ways away, Katara noted, vaguely recalling the district within the Lower Ring that the mystic seemed to live in. And Zuko wasn't going to like the fact that he had been ordered to stay behind by someone he didn't even know. Sighing, she rose and quickly gathered up the letters to be sent out before exiting outside to see Zuko training in the courtyard, moving through his katas even if he wasn't producing any fire.

"Are you leaving?" he asked once he noticed her, joining her by the stairs.

"I am. I was contacted by Mistress Etsu, the woman Lady Tien recommended to help me," she said and Zuko quirked his eyebrow in curiosity. "I'm going to see her once I am done with the letters and order your robes, so it may be later tonight when I return."

"Where is she living?" he asked and Katara shrugged vaguely.

"The Middle Ring." She hated to lie to him, but after their conversation last night he would refuse to let her travel to the Lower Ring and she was simply following the mystic's orders.

"I can come with you," he offered and she shook her head.

"She specifically said you weren't to come with me," Katara told him and smiled when Zuko predictably scowled at the news. "I'll be safe, I promise."

"I'm coming after you if you aren't back before dark," he threatened and Katara nodded before kissing him swiftly on the cheek.

Leaving him in the courtyard after saying goodbye she cut through the shop to let Soi Fong she would be out and that Zuko was remaining behind. Her first stop was to the nearest communication outpost where she sent their letters to the palace as well as their personal correspondences via messenger hawk. It took her longer to track down a shop that carried red fabric and knew what Fire Nation robes looked like.

"Fire Nation robes, hm? I've seen them a few times since the end of the war," the woman that ran the clothing shop said, bobbing her head before staring up at Katara. "I can't promise they'll be identical, however, as I'm going from memory."

"That is fine, I just need them to look similar," Katara reassured her.

"I need the boy's…it is a boy, correct? I've never seen any female clothing, so if that's what you need I can't help you."

"No, it's for a man, a friend of mine," Katara clarified.

"I need his rough measurements then," the woman told her, grabbing a piece of paper and a brush. "He'll have to come in when they are about ready for the final fitting too."

Reciting the measurements Zuko had told her, she found it odd that he even knew them in the first place. Men usually didn't think about things like that, but then again, maybe Fire Lords did. Or maybe because he seemed to continue to grow and had to often be refitted, she wondered, knowing Zuko had become larger in the year and a half that they had been separated.

"I also need them done as soon as you can have them," Katara told the woman who sputtered in surprise. "Please, it is rather important that he has them and we will pay you for the rush."

Eyeing the silver and gold coins Katara had pulled out to bribe the woman, she stated the price, her eyes gleaming as she did so. It would more than enough to buy three times the robes she was ordering, Katara noticed before sighing and handing over the money. She didn't have the skill or the patience to try and barter and she didn't want to publically say who the robes were for to give her and Zuko some privacy.

"Contact me at the Jasmine Dragon when you are ready for the fitting," Katara told the woman who suddenly smiled.

"A friend of Iroh's are you?" she asked before giggling, which didn't surprise Katara that much anymore.

"Yes. Ask for June," she said, figuring the continuing use of her alias wouldn't hurt her. She would just have to let Soi Fong know be aware of the connection. "I should hear from you in a few days then?"

"You may count on it, and when you see Iroh tell him Lei-Lei told hello," she chortled as Katara left the shop. Wondering if she should tell Zuko of another one of Iroh's many conquests she headed to the Middle Ring so she could catch one of the trains into the Lower Ring.

It was past noon by the time she finally arrived in the proper district and she paused to eat in one of the tea shops before looking for Mistress Etsu's house. The whole district seemed rather off, Katara noticed, taking in the clean streets and well maintained buildings. There seemed to be a lack of the thugs and usual miscreants that inhabited the Lower Ring, and she wondered briefly how they were able to keep them away as she nodded in greeting to some of the citizens who were out running their own errands.

In the end, it was rather easy to locate Mistress Etsu's place as she had hung various charms around her house, many of them to ward off evil spirits and offer protection. As she watched, a woman walked up to one of the protection spells and touched it briefly before rushing off, looking relieved at the brief act.

"People are funny creatures, my dear, don't you think?" Turning in surprise, Katara saw a woman had joined her in the street without her noticing and was staring after the woman. She was in her fifties, but seemed to be in such good health so her estimate may have been off, her dark hair only barely showing signs of graying. "The mind may be the most powerful thing a human posses, yet it can easily fall under the proper influence. That woman for example, her son is in the army so she comes everyday to ask for his protection even though she has been told he will live a full and happy life."

"So, do they not work then? The charms?" Katara asked and the woman laughed.

"Of course they work, but only when they are meant to," the woman explained. "Therefore, despite how often she comes and ask for his protection, the spirits will ignore it because he does not need it."

"Why did you not explain it to her then?"

"Because," the woman said, shaking her head. "Belief is something no one should have taken from them. Now, come in for some tea Master Katara."

"How did you…Are you Mistress Etsu?" Katara asked, watching the woman go and open the door to the house. "Of course you are."

"Of course, my dear," Mistress Etsu agreed as the two entered the house. She should have noticed immediately upon seeing Mistress Etsu, taking in the black hair and golden-brown eyes. The over-robe she wore was also distinctly Fire Nation, even if it was in Earth Nation green and gold Katara noticed as she took the seat as a small table the woman motioned to.

"Can I ask how you knew when I was arriving?" Katara asked and Mistress Etsu laughed as she sat across from her.

"You have heard of something called the Sight before, correct?" she asked and Katara nodded, thinking back to Meng. Reaching up, she touched her empty neck and hoped the young girl had been correct about the return of her mother's necklace now that it had gone missing again. "She was correct about your necklace; I have seen it as well."

"So you also posses the Sight?" Katara asked and Mistress Etsu nodded, tucking her hands into her large sleeves.

"I did, though my sight is much stronger than your friend's. I can also see into the past, so I was able to see why you would be arriving and when," the mystic explained softly. "Tell me, how does Tien fair in the mountains?"

"She seems content," Katara said, resting her hands in her lap. "I do believe she wishes to return to the Fire Nation however. She talked often with Zuko – the Fire Lord, which I guess you would know – about it, so I think she is homesick."

"One is always homesick, even if they are content. You are the same."

"I am, but I know I can freely return home," Katara told her and Mistress Etsu nodded. Katara suddenly frowned at her, leaning forward as the thought that entered her head forced itself to be asked. "Can you tell me where Princess Ursa is?"

"No," Mistress Etsu said shaking her head. "I do not know where the Princess is living and it will not be shown to me if I ask. Some paths are meant to be traveled blind."

"Oh," Katara sighed, sitting back.

"Do not give up hope, my dear. It is an integral part of who you are and what you provide your friends when they need it, as you did with the Fire Lord when you found his brother and determined his mother still lives," she told Katara who nodded. "Now, tell me what happens when you try to bend."

"It hurts," Katara told her bluntly before thinking back on the last time she tried to bend. "All of my joints hurt, even my toes and fingers. It was like they were being crushed and electrocuted at the same time. My chest also hurts and the pain stays the longest there."

"Hm," Mistress Etsu said before rising and leaving Katara sitting as she exited the room. She came back holding two cups, one that she gave to Katara after returning to her seat. Glancing down into the cup Katara took in the white and lumpy liquid before bringing up to smell it, her nose wrinkling in response. "Banana and onion juice. It cleanses the body, so drink all of it."

"I would rather not," Katara sighed before drinking the horrible mixture. And she thought the strong contraceptive herbs were nasty tasting. "Ugh."

"Sadly, it does lack any type of appeal," Mistress Etsu said with a laugh before drinking her own cup. "I have never seen a case like yours where a person's entire chi is blocked so permanently, though I know that it is possible with proper training. The body naturally tries to restore balance after a while so a person's chi flow will usually return to normal after it being blocked. I really have no idea how they would have been able to do so to your body."

"So you can't help?" Katara asked sadly, tightening her grip on her cups. She blinked back the tears that tried to rise up at the news, refusing to cry over the loss of her bending.

"I don't know yet, truthfully. I was just explaining the situation so do not give in yet," Mistress Etsu said and Katara nodded, finishing the last of the banana and onion juice, shuddering at the after taste.

"Can you explain why my chest hurts so much afterwards?"

"It may be where most of your chi is stored and therefore when you bend it is where the most pressure is applied," Mistress Etsu explained, standing to cross the room. She returned holding a scroll and unrolled it on the table to reveal a diagram of a human. It was very similar to the doll used in training healers, Katara noticed, with arrows to mark pathways running through the body originating from the figure's stomach. "The stomach is where the chi is produced, but it is the chest, specifically the heart, where it is stored when it is not flowing through the body. It is a good thing you did not continue to try and bend my dear, you may have damaged your heart if you had done so.

"I also fear that if your bending does return it will not be a pleasant return," Mistress Etsu continued to explain, shaking her head. "The pressure on your joints has been building and when the chi is free there will be some residual pain."

"I can handle it if means I can have my bending back," Katara told her honestly and Etsu nodded.

"Come, lay on this mat then and we shall see what I can do. Did the Avatar explain to you how bending originated as a manipulation of energy, rather than the elements?" Mistress Etsu asked after several minutes as her hands traveled lightly around Katara's body, probing in certain spots before continuing on.

"Yes. It's what allowed him to defeat the old Fire Lord," Katara said, remembering the conversation with Aang after the war when he had told her how he had been able to take Ozai's bending away. Having seen him when he had taken Azula's bending had shown her just how powerful that type of bending could be.

"That is correct. So, tell me, how do you think elemental bending came about then?"

"Uh…badger moles?"

"No, I fear not," Mistress Etsu said with a chuckle. "Bending pure energy is a daunting and rather dangerous task and took years of studying to do even the most simple of actions. Over time, people, benders, started to realize that there was energy in the things around them as well, in water, earth, air, and fire. These energies were more open to being harnessed and manipulated, so the people shifted their training to these particular traits. Each person also tended to fair better with one element than another, so they would…specialize, I guess is the correct term."

"So, are you saying anyone has the ability to became an Avatar and use all four elements?" Katara asked, the thought so startling she went to push herself upright. Mistress Etsu stopped her with a calm hand so Katara lay back down without moving her gaze away from the other woman.

"Oh, no, not anymore," Mistress Etsu said, pausing on Katara's left elbow for a second. "I'm talking back thousands of years, before the written history of the four nations. Omashu, as you know, is credited to having been made by the first earthbenders. It is only around 800 years old. For us that is a long time indeed, but to the Great Master, that may only be a blink of an eye."

"The Great Master?"

"I believe the Avatar terms him to be the 'turtle with a forest on his back'. Both Guru Pathik and I have been graced with meeting the Master, as has your General Iroh. He has been around since our world was first created, before humans, before everything. I believe he may have actually created the world, but he did not tell me when we met," Mistress Etsu explained as her wandering continued.

"So, as I saying, people learned how to bend the four elements. Over time, they focused more and more on the elements to which they were more suited for and therefore taught their students that same element. Eventually, they forgot entirely about the original, true and pure, form of bending. The animals around them also learned the means of bending as well; the fish how to use currents and waves to aid them, the badger moles to dig into mountains, the dragons how to breath the fire of life, and the air bison to fly.

"The Great Master told Guru Pathik there came to be a time when the elements were their own masters, no longer controlled by man. We are not sure what happened to those original benders, though I believe the records may have lived in the Wan Shi Tong library until your group caused its imminent destruction on your visit," she commented in a combination of indignation and humor.

"My brother wasn't very popular with the University at Ba Sing Se for a while once they learned he was the reason why the library was destroyed," Katara told her, smiling softly. Some of the historians had wanted to kill Sokka for destroying the library. "The animals, they still knew how to bend though, didn't they? To be able to teach the next set of humans how to bend."

"That is correct. A few things changed over time. Tui and La were originally sea creatures who became the spirits that represent the moon and the ocean, the koi fish you saw them as a mere shadow of their old forms. A dragon became the sun spirit, a rather romantic story you should ask the Fire Lord about. During the war the true story was altered, but I believe the General and his mother taught him the correct one as a child.

"Continuing, an unbalance eventually formed as the Four Nations came into creation as benders reappeared. The line between the spiritual world and ours is thin as you have seen, which is why spirits can sometimes enter ours and we theirs. There was also unrest between the Nations, one that is constantly coming and going as you yourself have seen in this life. To form a balance, the world itself created the Avatar, the bridge between the worlds and the Nation," Mistress Etsu said before looking over at Katara. "Do you know why I told you all of this?"

"It has something to do the fact that a person's chi is linked to their bending. That's how Aang was able to remove Azula and Ozai's bending, he removed their ability to make chi," Katara figured and Mistress Etsu nodded as she rested one hand on Katara's stomach and her chest, eyes closed.

"You are correct. You cannot remove all of it without taking the life of the person, but he was taught how to remove enough of it to take away any possibility of them bending again. Benders use their chi to control the energy in the elements that allows them to bend. People learned how to manipulate chi as they did bending, to make themselves stronger or their enemies weaker. During that time when human's lost their ability to bend chi manipulation remained, though its practice came to be more on learning how to cause a person to lose the control over certain appendages like your acrobat friend did. The fact that she caused your bending to be ineffective had more to with the fact you couldn't use your arms to control the water more than anything, though it seems she has some knowledge about how to affect chi as well.

"However, to a few people like me, who showed a strong affinity towards learning the true manipulation of chi, we were taught how to stop a person from bending, to separate the chi from their element. Only a few in each generation learn this technique and until you I believed myself to be the only one from the Fire Nation. It was a foolish belief, but I cannot tell you who the other person may have been.

"Ah, there you are," she murmured, nodding her head as her hands finally came still again. Katara blinked but remained quiet as Mistress Etsu chanted softly under her breath, both hands resting now on Katara's chest, right above the spot that carried the most pain.

Slowly, a tingling sensation came over her from that spot then became a pulse, a faint one but one that she had known since being a child. The pulse continued to pick up in tempo and Katara shifted as pain started to radiate out from it again, spreading to her stomach and out to her fingers. Tears formed and she wanted to tell Mistress Etsu to stop, but at the same time she couldn't, not wanting to give up on the one chance to have her bending returned.

When it all finally peaked, she couldn't liken it to anything other than a tidal wave crashing onto the beach during a storm. Every single joint in her body seemed to literally scream as the pressure that had been stopping the chi flow through her body was suddenly taken away, its absence just as painful. She screamed at the intensity of the feeling, curling into a ball even as she heard items around her shatter in the same instant.

It was only after the pain faded to a dull throb, like after stubbing a toe or smashing a thumb, did she uncurl herself and realize she was wet. Looking around the cottage, Katara took in all the shattered pottery and dishes surrounding them. The two women were surrounded by a pool of liquid, from a combination of several different items Katara figured as she picked a piece of cabbage from her hair. There was a commotion outside as well and Katara let Mistress Etsu help her to her feet before they went to the front door. In the small courtyard outside the house the fountain Katara had noticed on her way in was empty of water, but the street looked flooded and the few people in the streets were soaked.

"Well, that is rather surprising," Mistress Etsu commented dryly, wiping the water on her face off, smearing her make-up. "Rather like a dam breaking loose, for you to reach the water over a hundred feet away from you without thinking about it. Your chi pathway is open, but it will be rather erratic for the next few days as it settles down. I would avoid water as much as possible until your bending returns to normal."

Katara nodded and looked behind her into Mistress Etsu's house. Taking a breath she gathered the water that had soaked the floor and furniture to her before sending it out to the street to join the rest of the water. That simple move, one of the first she had learned as a bender, took as much effort and concentration as it had six years ago and left her shaking as her body continued to ache.

"It will get better, child."

"I know and thank you for all of your help," Katara said, bowing deeply to Mistress Etsu as a sign of respect. "I appreciate it more than you can imagine."

"A person's bending is precious to them," the older woman said and Katara watched as she produced a small flame in her hand before dismissing it. "Guru Pathik, bless him, always viewed bending as an unneeded commodity and never cultivated his as an earthbender. Part of it was the fact that he followed the ways of the Air Nomad and felt like he betrayed them by being an earthbender. I, however, see bending as a way for people to express their souls, which is why I am thankful to you and the Fire Lord for stopping the war. Now people can remember that bending wasn't given to them as a power to be used in war, but rather a gift to be appreciated."

"Would you like to meet him?" Katara asked, curious. "He is here in Ba Sing Se with me and I'm sure he would like to meet you as well."

"I am content," Mistress Etsu told her, going back to the fire to hang an iron kettle over the fire. "My path and the Fire Lord's do not cross outside of this meeting. And he recognized a long time ago the true meaning of being a firebender so there is no need for us to meet."

Nodding, Katara helped clean up the shattered pottery her bending had resulted in before refusing the offer of tea. It would be nearing sunset when she finally returned to the tea shop and she didn't want to cause Zuko any more worry seeing as how she had now been gone all day.

"May I visit you again? When I'm back in Ba Sing Se and not so pressed for time?" Katara asked as she stood ready to leave. There was something compelling in the older woman, and Katara didn't deny the knowledge she seemed to have on the world, most of it unknown to many people, was something that caught her attention.

"I look forward to it. I believe there will be some things we will need to discuss," Mistress Etsu eluded and Katara wondered if the older woman already knew when their next meeting would be. Shaking her head at the thought, Katara bowed to her before heading towards the nearest train to take her back up to the Upper Ring and the tea shop.

The sun was just setting when she reached the front of the tea shop and she hesitated for a second before taking the side entrance into the back courtyard. The shop was busy with customers at the moment so she didn't want to bug Soi Fong or get pulled into any conversation with the regular customers who knew her after staying with Iroh so many times in the past few years. She never minded talking with them, but at the moment she felt too restless to sit and talk.

The courtyard was empty except for Appa who was resting at the entrance to the barn so she figured Zuko was inside. Going to the bison, she petted him softly when he opened his eyes to gaze at her, letting out a low moan in greeting, before leaning against his shoulder, staring into the small courtyard.

Off to one side was a small pool, both for decoration and as drinking source for Appa, and Katara stared at the calm water before moving towards it. Stopping at the edge, she called up a small ball of water, nothing bigger than what she could have held in her hand, and stared at the floating and constantly shifting form. She ignored any discomfort the bending was causing, simply focusing on the water until everything else seemed to fall away.

It wasn't until the ball suddenly froze over that she realized her breathing had become haggard and she looked down at the pool to see the water agitated under the thin layer of ice that had formed. Letting the frozen ball return to the larger mass, she stared at her shaking hands before looking up when she heard someone come to a stop behind her, the gait so familiar she instantly knew it was Zuko. She didn't turn to look at him, keeping her gaze on the pool until her eyes hurt as the water continued to churn.

"I…I was so terrified," she finally whispered, lifting her free arm to cross over her stomach, almost feeling nauseous at the thoughts coursing through her mind that she had struggled for so long to keep at bay. "So scared that I wouldn't be able to bend again, to know what it had been like and never feel it again."

"It's not a pleasant feeling," Zuko agreed and Katara finally turned to look at him.

He was staring at the darkening sky, but his fists were clenched tightly as he lowered his gaze to meet hers. She and the others had dismissed his lack of bending so quickly, she thought, remembering when Zuko had come to tell them so soon after joining them. He hadn't become their friend yet and watched for any sign that he was tricking them, and when he had told them he was losing his bending ability, they had made jokes.

"Zuko, I –"

"Don't blame yourself for how you acted then Katara," he told her, shaking his head. "Despite…everything, I did deserve it, at least for a while. You can hold a grudge when you get angry enough, though."

Katara choked out a laugh, before covering her mouth as the laughing turned into a sob. As the first tear fell, Zuko crossed the last of the distance between them and pulled her to him so she could bury her face in his shirt as she continued to cry.

"Tell me, please," he finally asked once she had calmed down a little and Katara closed her eyes as she fisted her hand in his shirt, taking a deep breath.

"It would make her death pointless," she confessed, shuddering as she finally said what had tormented her since she had lost her bending. "All I could think was: 'She died to save my bending. Now I can't bend, so in the end it was meaningless.' I hated myself for that, Zuko, hated it more than I did that man, because, because…"

"It wasn't your fault, Katara," Zuko told her as Katara trailed off, unable to finish the thought. "It has never been your fault."

"They came because of me!" Katara yelled, pushing away from him as the anger surged through her. It wasn't anger at Zuko. Rather, it was anger at herself, a feeling that had been welling up inside of her silently since she had found her mother dead and had remained unresolved even after they had gone after her murderer. "They came because I was a waterbender! I always just wanted to blame them, say it was because of the war! When that man told me she had died to save me, the last waterbender, it made everything my fault! And then I lose my ability to bend, so what was the point of her death then Zuko? What was it?"

"You. She died to save you, Katara, not your bending," Zuko told her, grabbing her when she would have turned away from him. "Even if the situation had been different, she was your mother and loved you. She would have given her life to save you every time."

"Like yours," she whispered and Zuko paused before nodding.

"Like mine," he agreed. The two fell silent before Katara finally sighed, leaning against Zuko as the day caught up to her.

"Thank you," she finally said. Even if the conversation had been pointless since she had gotten her bending back, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders by telling Zuko. In some way she would always feel guilty in the death of her mother, but at the same time never wanted it to be in vain, because Zuko was right. Kya had given her life to save Katara's, not to save her bending.

"Always," Zuko promised softly and she smiled, knowing he was good for it.

sSSs

Ending A/N: See? Yay, for Katara! I know many of you happy to see her bending back and I hope her moment of angst at the end didn't seem completely out of the blue - though I realize I didn't hit on it previously as much as I could – should – have. Maybe if I edit the far-off future I'll try to rewrite it.

And since I finally can post thia: Damn you M. Night Shamasuckmyass for RUINING this series! I only saw the movie in November and I wanted to throw up afterwards. It took all the good stuff out of the series and don't even get me started on the deal with making the Fire Nation Indian. I want brain bleach to wipe my memory…

On a happy note, I'm a totally excited to see Nickelodeon has approved for a "spin-off" focusing on the next Avatar. We get to meet Aang and Katara's son (yeah, think about that for a second then weep in a corner as we Zutara fans receive another blow against our fandom…) and the new female waterbending Avatar seems kickass. I hope they are able to do more than the 13 episode half season.

Like I said above, if I get off my ass I'll try to work out a better ending. And trust me, I know all the shit I left unresolved.

Thank you, dear readers, for all my reviews I have received (I'm always open for more, review-whore that I am).

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Nickelodeon and its creators. I hope to god they have burned all contracts with M. Night regarding future movies and have written letters of apologies to the Avatar fanbase.