Ikari laughed, the light sound echoing across the frozen landscape. "Easy, you two," he said, raising his hands in a calming gesture. Then he looked at Katara, his expression turning serious for the first time since the two of them had met him. "About waterbending… I'd love to help you, Katara, but I'm afraid I'm not the right person for that."
**********
Katara blinked, disappointment tightening in her chest. "What? Why not?"
Ikari gestured to the air around him "The four elements — air, water, fire, earth — they're all different. Each has its own… rules and limits, let's say. I trained and learned to feel the air, to move with it, to let it guide me. It's light, free, always shifting."
He paused, turning his hand to create a small current of air that spiraled upward before fading. "Water is different. It flows, yes, but it has weight, a current to follow. A waterbender needs to understand the tide, feel the pull and the return, like the waves obeying the moon. To teach you, I'd have to grasp that first. But it's impossible for someone who isn't a waterbender to truly understand water. That's why I'm not the right person to teach you."
Katara listened in silence, her eyes wide, taking in every word. There was something poetic about the way Ikari spoke. Even so, the disappointment lingered. "But… you're a bender," she insisted, her voice barely a whisper. "You must know something that could help me, right?"
"I can give you a few tips. That might help you get started. But waterbending? You're going to need to find a waterbending master to teach you" He paused for a second, his gaze drifting toward the horizon. "It's a shame that, as far as I know, you're the only waterbender in the South Pole..."
"Yeah…" Katara murmured, lowering her eyes to her feet. She should be grateful and happy, right? Ikari was willing to help her, even if it was just with a few tips. That was something, wasn't it? So why did she feel so discouraged?
Suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder. Katara looked up and found herself face to face with Ikari, who had approached without her noticing, his eyes glowing with something warmly intense. "Don't get discouraged, Katara. Everything in this world has a path. Some are long, others filled with stones, but all of them lead somewhere. If you stop at the first difficulty, the first obstacle, you'll never find out where that path could take you. And I know, just by looking at you, that you're not the kind of person who gives up."
He tilted his head, his smile returning—this time with a hint of challenge. "You're going to find your path. And when you walk it, you'll have become such a powerful waterbender that even the Fire Lord will tremble."
Katara felt her heart quicken, Ikari's words reigniting the flicker of determination that had been wavering in her chest. 'He believes in me. Even without really knowing me.' She straightened her shoulders, chin lifting with newfound resolve, her eyes shining with a mix of gratitude and fire. "Thank you, Ikari," she said, her voice steady now. "You're right. I won't give up. I will become a great waterbender someday."
Sokka, who had been watching the exchange with crossed arms, snorted. "Wow, what an inspiring speech, Mister Wind. Gonna write a poetry book next?"
Ikari laughed, removing his hand from Katara's shoulder and turning to Sokka. "Maybe. But for now, I think I'll settle for teaching you how not to fall in the snow every time you try to hit me."
"Tsk."
Katara smiled, looking at the two of them. She certainly hadn't expected any of this when she woke up that morning, but that day had, without a doubt, been one of the happiest in years.
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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.