The Little Dragon

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Sunday June 28th

Kaida

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The gAang and I were flying over a massive village. I still reeked of swamp and it was absolutely disgusting. Sitting up, I unrolled the letter from Zuko.

     Dear Kaida,

     Thank you. I hope you are well.

    Zuko

    I was taken aback, I looked at the back of the letter. "Where is the rest of it?" I said turning it over and over again. But no it was only those few letters. I let out a groan before falling flat onto my back.

   "The rest of what?" Sokka said looking over his shoulder at me.

    "Nothing." I grumbled laying the paper flat on my face in defeat. I let out a sigh, I knew Zuko was a man of little words, but sheesh, that was horrible. I punched the air, the paper fluttering off me.

    "What is she so upset about?" Aang said from Appa's head. Katara looked over at me and smiled knowingly.

    "Men are idiots." She sighed with her arms crossed, shaking her head sadly.

     "Look at this!" I held up the paper to Katara. Sokka leaned in and I shot fire at him, making him reel backward. "Not you." I pointed a finger towards Sokka.

    Katara leaned in and read the words on the paper. "What do I even say back to that?" I crumpled up the paper and was ready to throw it, but I stopped myself with a sigh. In defeat, I uncrinkled the paper and folded nicely into the bag with all my other letters from him, as few as there were.

    "I don't even know." Katara said sadly, "maybe don't reply until he does again?"

    "Make him send a double letter?" I said leaning on the side of the saddle. She nodded, "I think he will leave me." I sighed putting my hands in my lap.

    "Someone needs to tell me what is going on!" Sokka shouted putting his hands into the sky. Katara threw her bag at him, hitting him square in the face.

     "Girl talk!" She pointed a finger at him. "Stay out of it." Then she looked back over to me. "If he likes you he will probably wonder what happened. He could even be worried."

     I nodded my head with another sigh, then I looked over the edge and saw a waterfall at the edge of the city. "Hey!" I shouted to everyone, "lets land there and get cleaned up, I'm tired of smelling like dead fish!"

    "Then we can go into the village in search for my Earth Bending teacher!" Aang cheered and landed Appa next to the running water. With a squeal, I grabbed my shampoo and leaped off Appa into the ice-cold water. I let out a shriek from the cold before dunking my head into the water.

    Everyone jumped in after me, "Hey Kaida can you use your flame power and heat this up?" Sokka said scrubbing under his pits. I nodded my head as I put my hand on the surface of the water. I embedded my flame deep within in, heating the water up to a steamy temperature.

    "Ah," Sokka started floating on the surface of the water. "This hits the spot." I laughed dunking my head to get the shampoo out of my hair. I was getting ready to go to the village. If Zuko is going to be like that, fine, I'm going to find myself someone else.

    I climbed out of the water, toweling myself off before throwing my outer garments back on me. I let my hair dry and by the time it was done everyone was out of the water. I jumped to my feet, "who's ready to go to town!" I cheered my fists raised with determination.

    "Why is she so fired up-" Sokka nudged Aang. "Get it, fired up," Aang chuckled, his laugh a little giggle.

    "Yeah, let's go." Katara stood next to me before we walked onto the path into the village. She was back in her fuzzy blue Water Bending dress. I shared a similar look except mine was a maroon color. My hair was tied back in a braid that started at my forehead and went all the way down. It was nice wearing a little bit of red, to show my respect for my nation, yet not be called out for it.

    "I have a good feeling about this town." I looked back at Aang who spoke.

    "Really?" I said with a brow raised. Avatars really do have really crazy avatar stuff. I looked forward as the houses neared.

    "Yeah." Aang was next to Katara now. "This is going to be good." He nodded his head as we entered the town.

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    "It's pricey, but I really do like it." Sokka was striking his chin at a bag that he has been wanting to buy for the last half an hour. I was leaning on the wall of the shop waiting for him. Aang was sitting on the floor next to me looking a bit bored.

    "Then you should get it. You deserve something nice." Katara said with a smile, displaying a hand to the bag. I think she was just being nice because we wanted to get out of here, and quickly. We had other things to do, most importantly find Aang a master.

    Sokka turns to her with a smile, "I do, don't I?" Then he turns back with an exaggerated gesture, "But no. It's too expensive, I shouldn't." His hand was on his chin once more, shaking his head. I rolled my eyes, having the urge to slump down next to Aang. No, hopefully, we will be out of here soon.

     Katara crossed her arms, slightly annoyed now, "Alright, then don't."

    She turns and walks down the street and Aang gets up and follows her. I wanted to go with them, but I wanted to give them time alone. I sighed, wanting to bang my head against the wall behind me as I glared at Sokka. Then he started to follow Katara at last, looking wistfully back at the bag. But I knew where this was going. I have been traveling with him for the better half of a year now. He turned and smiled at the bag, pulling it off the pedestal. I didn't understand what drew him to the bag, it was just an Earth Kingdom bag.

    "You know what? I'm gonna get it." He yanked the bag off and went to pay inside the shop, when he got outside I was waiting for him with a smile.

      "Like your new bag?" I said in front of him. His eyes widen when he saw me like he was surprised to see me.

    "You waited?" A flash of emotion went across his face. I raised a brow. Of course I had waited, him alone is a whole lot of trouble.

    "Yes," I said with a smile, I turned on my heel and he walked beside me. "Let's go catch up with the others." We picked up the pace catching up to them in no time. By the time we did, there seemed to be a man talking to him. I gave Sokka a weary look, to which he just shrugged and walked faster.

    "Psst, psst. Hey, you kids like Earth Bending? You like throwing rocks? Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy." He held out a paper to the two of them. Aang not knowing what to do takes it in his hands confused. The man smiled and left, when I arrived I gave them a hard time.

   "So we just take things from strangers now?" I scolded putting my hands on my hips. I peered at the paper in Aang's hand, looked like its a flyer for an Earth Bending Academy nearby.

     "Look, there's two coupons on the back. The first lesson is free." He looked up from the flyer at the three of us. I looked back down at the flyer.

     "Who knows? This Master Yu could be the Earth Bending teacher you've been looking for." Katara said with a smile, hope shining in her eyes. I leaned up against the wall of one of the houses. I closed my eyes, still occupied on what Zuko said in the letter. Didn't he say he loved me? Does that mean we are a thing?

    "There are two coupons," Aang said again, I opened my eyes. "Does anyone want to come with me?" Then all of a sudden the three of them looked at me. My mouth dropped open in shock.

    "You don't mean me, a Fire Bender, go with him to this Earth Bending Academy." I pointed a finger to myself pushing myself off the wall. My only reply was Aang smiling sheepishly.

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