I move my fingers absently as I walk, rotating three balls of water over my hand, freezing them and combining them only to separate them again. It's calming, the constant motion. The knowledge that I have control over something, if only for a moment.

I watch them- the way the sunlight flickers through them, making the seem like little balls of fire, instead of water. My gaze moves down my hand to my wrist, where the tattoo seems to move in a never-ending circle.

Fire around water around fire around water around- "oof!"

I stumble back to see an old woman sprawled at my feet. I drop the water and pull her to her feet.

"I am so, so sorry!"

"Oh, don't be, child. I'm all right."

"But I should've been watching where I was going. I'm sorry." She smiles at me, and I smile back, then bend down to pick up her basket and things.

When I hand them to her she smiles again, and brushes a lock of long white hair out of her eyes. Her hair isn't done up like most of the women here- it's down in the front but up in the back, held almost like a Fire Nation topknot, but thicker. And it's held with a blue comb that has a familiar design on it, one that isn't usually found in the Northern Water Tribe.

"Are you from the Southern Water Tribe?"

"Yes, dear. How did you guess?"

"Your comb. But I don't remember you, what's your name?"

"I am Hama. And you wouldn't remember, dear, because I haven't been to the Southern Water Tribe since long before you were born."

"I'm Katara." She smiles at me, and there is sadness in her eyes.

"Come, walk with me." I take her arm, and she leads me through the streets of ice, eventually stopping at a small igloo. We don't speak until we're seated at the table, and Hama is setting down a tea pot and two cups.

"Want some?"

"Yes, please."

She raises her hand, and tea rises from the pot and into my cup. I stare in shock.

"You're a waterbender! I've never met another waterbender from our tribe!"

"That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one."

"So how did you end up here?" There is so much pain in her eyes, and my heart goes out to her. What she must have gone through.

"I was stolen from my home. It was over sixty years ago when the raids started. The ships came from nowhere, raining fire on our village. There were so many, but we fought as hard as we could. They came again and again, each time rounding up more of our waterbenders and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued. Finally, I too was captured. I was led away in chains. The last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. They put us in terrible prisons in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape. Once the war was over, I came here."

I stand and hug her, because I don't know what else to do. It's times like these when I truly hate the Fire Nation. I know we're at peace now, and the war is over. Zuko has changed things. But he can't change the past or what was done to my people, to Aang's people. And sometimes I hate him for that.

"How did you get away?"

"I'm sorry. It's too painful to talk about anymore."

"I completely understand. I lost my mother in a raid."

"Oh, you poor thing."

"I can't tell you what it means to meet you. It's an honor. You're a hero."

"I never thought I'd meet another Southern waterbender. I'd like to teach you what I know, so you can carry on the Southern tradition when I'm gone."

I can't help but grin at her.

"Yes! Yes, of course! To learn about my heritage, it would mean everything to me." I bow to her, and she smiles again. I forgot where I came from, I forgot who I was. And I never really remembered myself.

This is my chance to get back to my roots, to learn about who my people were and who I can someday be. This is a way that I can heal, I know it in my heart.

Hama sets out large bowls of water around her living room, between the plants, and we stand in the middle.

"Growing up at the South Pole, waterbenders are totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas. But as you've probably noticed on your travels, that isn't the case wherever you go."

"I know! When I was in the desert, I felt like there was almost nothing I could do."

"That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists. Did you know you can even pull water out of thin air?" She throws her hand back, then circles it forward, and a trail of water follows its path. I grin- already I'm learning things I never even knew about!

Wait till I show all this to Lia!

"You've got to keep an open mind, Katara. There's water in places you never think about. For instance, those plants, like all plants, are filled with water." She gestures at the potted flowers that fill her home. It reminds me of Aki, and for a moment I forget where I am. I miss Aki so much- I wonder what she would say if she knew who I really am? Maybe I'll take Lia and go visit her-

But no, I couldn't. Jon and Hon would- who am I kidding? I am the strongest waterbender in the world! What are two overgrown bullies to me? I smile, decided.

"Katara?"

"I'm sorry, Hama. I'm listening."

"You can control the plants themselves by bending the water inside, but you can also take it even further." She moved her arms, and two of the plants reached towards her, then flew back as the water was sucked out of them. She sent the water whipping around herself, then smashed it into one of the pots, breaking it.

"That was incredible! It's a shame about the plants, though." The two she took the water from are dead, as if their very souls have been sucked out. They can't survive without water.

"They're just flowers. When you're a waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive. Tonight I'll teach you the ultimate technique of waterbending. It can only be done during a full moon, when your bending is at its peak."

"But, isn't that dangerous? I thought people have been disappearing around here during the full moon."

"Oh, Katara. Two master waterbenders beneath a full moon? I don't think we have anything to worry about."

I nod, but inside, I'm worried. There are a lot of master waterbenders around here, and people have still disappeared. But maybe I'm just being paranoid. I shrug and follow Hama back to the table as she starts to tell me about her life before the raids started. I smile and sip my tea, and let my worries fade away.

**__**

Sokka and Aang stood on an ice balcony overlooking the water as the sun set. It was the full moon that night, and they could see it, high in the sky already.

"Maybe we should walk around in a deserted part of town. Then the spirit would attack us and I could fix this whole thing."

"I don't know, Aang. We haven't seen anything around here that points to an angry spirit. There's nothing off here except the disappearances. It doesn't make any sense."

"But what else could it be, Sokka? You're the man with the plan- if you have a better idea-"

"I don't! I'm just saying we should be careful. We don't know what's going on, and that's dangerous. Things are never what they seem."

"We'll be fine, Sokka. We're the Avatar and the Southern Water Prince. And we've got Toph and Katara, too. We'll be fine."

"I hope you're right, Aang."

"I am. I'm the Avatar, I'm always right."

Sokka just shook his head.

______

Soooo. Hama. Some of you guessed it.. :) But what is she doing in the Northern Water Tribe? 0.o

COMMENT and vote, and remember five commentz by tommorow if you want me to update! I'll try and get ahead of y'all again, lol :)

-Tess