Trust and Trials

Aang didn't immediately respond, he looked at Harry and realised that what he was getting was probably the closest he would get to having Harry beg him for help. Admittedly Aang was quite unsure about trusting him based on what he had heard from Sokka, but then again Sokka had at first thought that he himself could have been part of the Fire Nation. Aang wasn't entirely sure what it was about Harry but for some reason he did want to give him a chance.

"Okay," Aang spoke after a few seconds of tense silence. "I don't know you, but you did help us. I'm willing to give you a chance." Aang said in a soft voice.

"What?!" Sokka blurted out in what he would later insist was not a shriek.

"He sounds like he doesn't like bad guys." Aang shrugged.

"That cannot be where the bar is!"

"Listen ponytail," Harry sighed. "let's simplify this. Do you like me?"

"No!"

"Well, I don't like you, so we're on even footing. Do you like the Fire Nation?"

"That's a big 'no'!"

"Well I'm not exactly happy with them at the moment, do you want to see the Avatar killed? If the answer is 'no' then that's another thing we have in common. Listen up, I've been told my entire life that those that belonged to Water Tribes were nothing but filthy peasants, that you weren't good for being anything other than insects for the Fire Nation to squash under their shoes. Now, from what I've seen you seem to care about the Avatar, now it's in my best interests to keep him alive, and even if it wasn't I don't particularly find it fun to kill people only a few youngers than me. We have a mutual enemy, work with us or get out of the way." Harry finally finished.

Katara and Aang stayed quiet as Sokka and Harry stared at each other, Sokka turned away first and mumbled something under his breath but didn't say anymore. Katara and Aang were both simply relieved that the two weren't fighting with each other anymore.

"I...I'll give you a chance," Sokka eventually said. "but if this is a trick then I'm going to make you pay." He added in a firm voice. Harry was quite tempted to say that he didn't really think there was anything that this boy could do that would seriously harm or even intimidate him but in the interest of maintaining the small amount of peace they had he didn't say anything and simply nodded.

"So, I'm Harry, as you all know, but I didn't get your names." Harry said, looking back and forth between them all.

"I'm Katara," Katara spoke in a quiet voice. "this is my brother, Sokka. And you know Aang." She said as she gestured to Aang.

"It's nice to meet you all." Harry said in a polite voice, Sokka looked disbelieving at that comment but didn't say anything.

"A...Aang," Katara spoke a few seconds later. "how did you do that? Earlier I mean, with the water." She asked, unable to totally keep the amazement out of her voice as she thought about the single most impressive piece of waterbending that she had ever seen. She remembered Aang's eyes glowing a bright white, along with his arrow tattoos. He had rockets upward from the water that he had fallen in and got back on the ship by riding a humongous spinning water vortex. He had summoned the water behind him before it swirled around him, forming a protective circle, before spreading outward, knocking Zuko and several soldiers off their feet. She only wished that she could do something like that.

"I don't know." Aang admitted. "I just sort of ... did it." He finished awkwardly.

"How many elements have you mastered?" Harry asked, a hint of hope in his voice. "You're an airbender and based off your tattoos it's a safe bet to assume that you're quite skilled in that, and according to her you were able to waterbend."

"I...today was the first time I ever waterbended," Aang replied. "I've never done it before. I'm not even entirely sure how I did it."

"So...you've not mastered any of the elements?" Harry blinked. "Nothing beyond air?"

"Um...no...sorry." Aang said awkwardly. "I was sort of frozen in ice for the last hundred years." He couldn't help but add. Harry stared at him for several long seconds before he muttered some curses under his breath before shaking his head.

"It's fine, we can work with this." He said in a determined voice. "We just need to get you some teachers."

"Aang, why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" Katara asked.

"Because..." Aang looked down, his mood noticeably worse than before. "...I never wanted to be." He said.

"But Aang, the world's been waiting for the Avatar to return and finally put an end to this war."

"That's most likely a factor into why he doesn't want to be the Avatar," Harry spoke up. "no single person should have that responsibility put upon them, especially one so young."

"I'm older than all of you combined." Aang said with a mock glare at Harry before giving him a small smile for understanding.

"Maybe so, but you're like what? Twelve?" Harry asked.

"Yeah." Aang nodded, wondering where Harry was going with this.

"Grown men would run away from what you have to face, it'll be hard but I plan to make things as easy as possible for you." Harry replied. "Now, according to the legend you need to master all four elements."

"First air, then water, then earth and finally fire." Katara added.

"Exactly," Harry gave her a pleased nod and smile before turning back to Aang, causing her cheeks to turn red slightly. "you've pretty much got air, when the time's right I can teach you fire. But first we need to get someone to teach you waterbending, hopefully they can teach me as well."

"You don't know waterbending?" Sokka asked with a frown. "I thought you were the 'exception'."

"I am but, believe it or not, there aren't many people in the fire nation who you can learn air, water or earth bending from." Harry said with his own frown. "They were very willing to teach me fire bending, anything else I've learnt about the other elements has basically been self-study. They did teach me a little bit to make sure I could actually do it but that's it. I know a few basic moves from earth and water. I spent the last few years of my life studying as much as I could about airbending, there weren't a great many teachers available so I had to take whatever scrolls I was able to steal from the Fire nation. I've found a few more on the way, I'm probably not as good as Aang at it - scratch that, most definitely not as good as Aang - but I know enough airbending to get by. I'd like to learn the water and earth bending. Also if Aang is willing then I'd like him to help me with my airbending skills."

"Sure," Aang easily agreed. "but I have to ask, why can you bend all four elements? I'm the only one who can do that."

"You're supposed to be the only one who can do that," Harry corrected. "that's why I'm the 'exception'. I've just always been able to do it." Harry finished with a small shrug. "Anyway, do any of you know where we can find a waterbending teacher?" He asked.

"The North Pole!" Katara said brightly. "There's a water tribe up there and I'd like to learn some waterbending as well, we can all learn together!" She said before turning to Sokka and giving him a grin. "And Sokka, I'm sure you'll get to knock some firebender heads on the way."

"Oh, I'd like that. I would really like that." Sokka said with his own grin.

"I'm not going to comment on that." Harry said under his breath, knowing that they would all likely be 'knocking some firebender heads'.

"Then we're all in this together!" Katara said cheerfully.

"Yes!" Aang cheered before he pulled out a map and laid it out. "All right, but before I learn waterbending, we have some serious business to attend to. Here, here and here." He said, pointing to three different spots on his map.

"What are these places?" Harry asked, giving Aang his full attention.

"Well, here we'll ride the hopping llamas." He said as he pointed to the first spot before pointing to the second spot. "Then way over here, we'll surf on the backs of giant koi fish." He said, oblivious to the stares he was getting from the other three. "Then back over here, we'll ride the hog monkeys." He added as he pointed to the final location. "They don't like people riding them, but that's what makes it fun!" He finished with a face splitting grin.