The group settled down again, turning their attention back to their bowls of soup, the crackling of the fire filling the silence.
*********
After everyone finished eating, the village remained gathered for a while longer, listening to Ikari's stories until the children began to yawn, rubbing their eyes sleepily. The mothers soon began taking them to their tents, and little by little, everyone got up to sleep.
Katara led Ikari and Momo to one of the tents. The inside was simple, with the floor covered in soft furs and a folded blanket beside a small lit seal-oil lamp. "Do you think this one's good for the two of you?" Katara asked, holding the flap of the tent open as Ikari and Momo stepped in.
"It's perfect," Ikari replied, looking around with a satisfied smile as Momo jumped from his neck to the floor, sniffing the furs curiously. "Thank you, Katara. You guys really know how to welcome a traveler."
"Good to know. It's been a long time since we've had one," Katara said, stepping in as well and sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, her eyes following Ikari's movements.
He first took off the daggers from his waist, setting them carefully beside the blanket, then removed his shoes and sat on the furs—only then noticing Katara was still there. "…Do you need anything?"
"Ah!" Katara blushed, realizing she hadn't thought about leaving. She wanted to talk more, to learn more about the world, to ask all the questions bubbling in her mind. 'Idiot, idiot. Of course it's time to sleep!' She waved her arms awkwardly and replied quickly, "I–I just wanted to talk a bit more. B-but you can do that tomorrow!"
Ikari chuckled softly and gestured for her to stay. At that moment, Momo jumped into Ikari's lap, curling up against him. "It's all right, Katara. I'm not going to sleep yet anyway. We can talk a little more. What do you want to know?"
Hearing those words, the dam of questions Katara had been holding back burst open. "You don't seem to feel cold—is it because of airbending? How old are you? How did you meet my dad?—"
"Whoa, whoa. One at a time, Katara!" Ikari interrupted, amused by her enthusiasm as he scratched behind Momo's ears. "Let's see… yes, the reason I'm not cold is because of airbending. More specifically, I use a breathing technique that regulates my temperature, isolating the heat of my body against the external cold. It's something the Air Nomads used to teach to survive in high and cold places."
"Oh, that's amazing!" Katara exclaimed, fascinated. 'If he can do that with air… what could I do with water?!'
"Thank you. As for my age, I'm fourteen."
"Fourteen?" Katara blinked, surprised. "You're only a year older than Sokka! And two older than me."
"Oh? So you're the younger sister?" Ikari tilted his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Doesn't seem like it. I could've sworn you were the older one. But don't tell Sokka that, okay?"
Katara laughed, her face blushing again. "My lips are sealed." She made a playful gesture of locking her mouth but quickly returned to the questions. "And my dad? How did you meet him?"
"I met him about three months ago, in a fishing village in the south of the Earth Kingdom. He and the others were restocking supplies before heading east. But I convinced them to join the forces of the King of Omashu for a while. Since then, we've worked together on quick strikes against detachments of the Fire Nation army."
Katara's eyes were wide as she listened, amazed by it all, but soon a tightness gripped her chest. "How long have you been fighting in the war?"
"Hmm…" Ikari thought for a moment, scratching the back of his neck. "Two years, I think."
"Two years?!" Katara exclaimed. "That means you were my age when you started!"
Ikari laughed, but there was a heaviness in his voice. "True, huh? Sounds crazy when you put it like that."
"That's not funny, Ikari!" Katara shot back, her voice a mix of worry and indignation. "You were just a child."
Ikari looked down, his smile fading, replaced by a darker expression. "True… it's true," he murmured, almost to himself.
Katara bit her lip. "Did your family accept it?"
Ikari was silent for a moment "... I don't have a family anymore. The Fire Nation took them all from me. But I'm sure none of them would have accepted it," he said finally, his voice deathly serious.
'Stupid girl! Why did I ask that?!' Katara scolded herself mentally, wishing she could take it back. "Ikari… I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."
"It's alright," Ikari interrupted, looking up with a faint smile. "You didn't know. And… well, Momo is my family now." He ran his hand over the lemur's belly, who squeaked in response, as if in agreement.
Katara looked at Momo, then at Ikari, her heart full of a mix of sadness and admiration. He was so young, yet he carried so much — the war, the loss, the loneliness. And still, there he was, smiling, helping, fighting, bringing hope to her village. She took a deep breath, her hand moving instinctively to the necklace on her neck. "The Fire Nation… took someone from me too," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "Three years ago, they attacked the village. My mother…" She swallowed hard, tears running down her face before she could stop them. "She was killed by one of the soldiers. I… I was the last one to see her, and I couldn't do anything to help. No matter how many days pass, I still remember that day like it was yesterday, and the pain—"
"Still feels the same," Ikari finished, as if he understood exactly how she felt. "You've just learned to live with it better."
"Yeah…" Katara nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, her chest tight, but somehow lighter after sharing it.
"I'm sorry for what you went through, Katara."
"I'm sorry for what you went through too."
The two of them fell silent for a moment, the quiet of the tent filled only by the soft crackling of the lamp. Katara took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself, feeling the weight in her chest slowly ease. Then, without thinking, the words slipped out: "You know, Ikari, I could be your family—" She froze, her face turning red like the embers of the fire outside. 'WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!'
Her heart raced, and she waved her hands in a panic, trying to backtrack. "I-I mean the village! The village could be your new family! You know, all of us… Gran-Gran, Sokka, the kids… we take care of each other! We're like one big family." The words tumbled out awkwardly, tripping over each other. "L-life isn't easy, and we're always doing something to keep everything going, but we love each other a lot and we're always there for one another!"
Ikari blinked, clearly surprised, before letting out a warm laugh, the sound filling the tent for a few seconds. "Wow, Katara. Do you make this kind of offer to everyone you've known for just a day, or am I special?"
Katara blushed even harder, covering her face with her hands. "O-o-of course n-not! I just… argh!"She peeked between her fingers, seeing Momo squeak as if laughing at her. "You're not helping, Momo!" she complained to the lemur, which only made Ikari laugh even more.
"Ha ha ha… haah…"He wiped the corners of his eyes, which had grown moist from laughing so hard. "I haven't laughed like that in a long time."
"I'm not offering you anything else," Katara muttered, sulking.
"Ah, come on. I'm just joking," Ikari said with a smile before turning serious. "But… thank you. Really. That was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me." He paused, his gaze softening. "You have a big heart, Katara. That's rare these days."
Katara lowered her hands, the blush still present. "Thank you..."
Silence returned, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Ikari shifted his eyes to the fire in the lamp, taking on a thoughtful expression for a few seconds. Then he shook his head slightly, as if pushing a thought away, and looked back at Katara. "Any more questions?"
Katara blinked twice, her mind returning to the original reason she was there. "Oh! Tell me more about the time you spent with my dad."
"Well… let me see where to start."
The two kept talking, the words flowing easily as seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours. Ikari told stories about his time with Katara's father, describing battles against the Fire Nation, moments of laughter around campfires, and even the scoldings he got for being too impulsive sometimes. Katara, in turn, shared memories of her childhood in the village, stories of Sokka messing things up, and lessons from Gran-Gran.
Eventually, exhaustion won out, and, without realizing it, they both fell asleep.
*********
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.