Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Avatar: The Wind on the Waves ❯ Chapter 11

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Aang was still running and jumping off of the walls when he spotted Katara coming to see what the noise was about. She sidestepped to avoid being run over, but Aang purposely swept her up and leapt up high, laughing all the while. Katara was thankful the building had a very high ceiling or else the two of them would have smacked right into it.

Calming down, Aang set her down and paused to catch his breath. Still caught in the excitement, Katara's knees gave out and she slumped to the floor. Aang's mirthful giggle tickled her ears, and despite having been terribly startled, she could not help but smile.

“What in the world has gotten into you?” she asked.

Aang knelt beside her, taking her hands into his own.

“I'll tell you later tonight, like I promised.” He replied between breaths. “Until then, get your stuff together. We're leaving for the South Pole tonight.”

“The South Pole?” she blinked. “Tonight? Aang, come on. Tell me what this is all about!”

“I told you I will.” He smiled. “Please, just go get your things so that we can go.”

“… All right.” She uttered.

The flight to the South Pole was a long, quiet one. Their bellies full, Aang and Katara settled into their places on Appa. She fell asleep relatively fast, but Aang was accustomed to forcing consciousness on himself.

Hearing her soft snoring in the saddle, Aang carefully withdrew something from inside his robes, staring pensively at it. He turned it over in his palm, feeling scared and ecstatic all at once. The faintest sound of Katara shifting position made him shove the item quickly back into hiding.

Aang gazed up at the moon. It was a little over half full and still waxing. A bellow from Appa shifted the Airbender's attention forward. The icy continents of the South Pole had come into view.

He had chosen to land Appa some distance away from the village, for it was not his intention to go there yet. Katara had woken up, and was confused as to why they were where they were.

Aang pulled a small bag from the saddle and opened it. The smell of flying sardines wafted out as Katara watched him pull one out.

“What do you have those for?” she asked, taking the one he offered her.

“What do you think they're for?” he grinned broadly.

All around them, penguins were gathering. It had not taken long at all for the stench of flying sardines to touch their sensitive noses, and they were not about to ignore the opportunity for free food!

“I wanted to bring you penguin sledding again!” Aang smiled, raising the fish above his head to avoid being robbed too soon of it.

“We haven't done that in so long!” Katara giggled, dodging one beak and keeping another one at bay.

“Then let's not put it off any longer. Come on!”

Capturing a penguin apiece, they slid down the smooth, icy caves. The frozen air whipping by them rosied their cheeks, but they didn't care. All that mattered was the rush of wind and snowflakes as they sped at a frightening pace down towards the shore.

Reaching the bottom, they released their penguins and assessed where they were. The place was vaguely familiar, Katara was sure of it, but something was different… something was gone.

“The ship…!” her eyes darted around quickly.

“I got rid of it.” Aang said seriously. “That boat will never haunt you or your village ever again.”

Katara whipped around to face him. His eyes were warm, but firm. A smile crept onto her face, and an emotional wetness touched her eyes.

“Aang… I don't… I don't know what to say! Why did you do this? Is this what you did while you were away? Did you plan all of this?”

The Avatar's only response was to look away and smile shyly.

“Aang, I can't thank you enough! This is wonderful! Is there anything else you did on your trip?”

There was a moment so silent not even the wind dared to make a sound.

“Actually, Katara, there is.”

He approached her slowly, stopping within an arm's length of her. Her eyes bore into his, and she suddenly became aware of just how serious he was being. It was so unlike him to do so for a long stretch, to the point where it started making her a little uneasy.

“You've been my friend. You've saved my life and cared for me since you found me. You've freed me in more ways than one, and been there for me even in… my worst moments…”

“Aang…” she whispered, awed.

The Avatar sank to his knees, ignoring the cold hardness of the ice beneath him.

“And I love you, Katara…with all the love of a lost nation…”

Aang's eyes and arrows glowed briefly, and his voice was that of all the past Avatars speaking at once. A single tear dared trickle down the girl's cheek.

“…and of all the lives past, present, and yet to be…”

He reached into his robe, clutching something tightly in his fist. Cupping his hands around it as though in prayer, Aang held his closed hands up to Katara, offering it to her.

“Katara…” he said in his own voice again. “Will you be my wife?”

Aang opened his hands, revealing the engagement necklace he had made for her himself. The dark blue polished stone was engraved with a design resembling a wind spiral curled up with a wave. Instead of the traditional aquatic blue, the silken ribbon was autumn red in color.

Katara's breath caught in her throat and she sank to her knees in front of him. She reached out and took the gift, turning the stone over in her hand to admire it. The backside had her name and his intricately carved into it. Suddenly, she remembered that she had a question to answer.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, tears of joy pouring down her cheeks. “Yes, Aang, I will! I accept!”

She hugged him suddenly, and losing his balance, Aang fell backwards, bringing her with him. His face peppered with kisses, he let loose a peal of rapturous laughter. They rolled over together, heedless of the frozen ground beneath them. Katara caught him in a deep kiss, and all sensation of cold deserted them.

Parting for air, Katara slowly drew herself off of him, only to have him grip her arms and keep her down.

“Aren't you cold?” she asked.

“No.” he shook his head with a smile. “I'm perfectly fine.”

Katara cocked her head to one side, eyeing him curiously. A faint blush tinted her cheeks.

“You're not thinking of… out here… are you?” she half-joked.

“What? No!” Aang suddenly seemed shocked that she would suggest such a thing. “Are you kidding me? We'd freeze to death out here!?”

“That's funny.” She teased. “I seem to recall you NOT having a problem stripping down in the middle of winter to go riding elephant koi. How is that different from now?”

“Well,… um… For one thing, that was just me in the water, and this—“ he knocked on the frozen ground. “—is ice that we'd both be exposed to… and I don't want you to fr--”

She cut him off with quick, rough kiss.

“I was joking, Aang.” Katara touched noses with him.

“That's a relief!” Aang replied. “For a minute, I thought you were serious!”

She simply smiled and shook her head. The air grew serious again, and Aang sat himself up with her.

“Katara?”

“Yes?”

“How… do you feel about… kids?”

“I love children, Aang.” Katara leaned in her forehead to touch his. She had an idea of where this conversation was heading, but just in case… “Why do you ask?”

“Because someday, I want to raise a family with you… in fact, I… kinda have to…”

“This is about the Air Nomads, isn't it?”

“Once I'm gone, the airbenders really will be extinct. I don't want to put any kind of pressure on you, Katara. I should have said something before asking you to marry me, but didn't know how to word it. If you had said no…”

She touched his shoulder, and he closed his hand around hers.

“If you had said no, then that really would have been it. I… don't think I could ever bring myself to… be with anyone else the way that I have been with you.”

“Oh, Aang!” She pulled him tightly into her arms. “As many as you want… as many as you want…”

“But I know that it's painful…” he held her by the shoulders at arm's length, searching her eyes for any hint of doubt or uncertainty. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She responded without hesitation, and smiled warmly. “Just think; every airbender yet to be is going to have a little bit of you in them!”

“And a little bit of you too!” He brushed her cheek with his fingers, happiness flooding his features.

They decided not to go to the village for the night, opting instead to head north and camp out in one of the many forests of the Earth Kingdom. As the night was still a bit chilly, they laid out their sleeping bags in Appa's saddle and cuddled together for warmth.

They flirted and teased one another, sharing kisses and soft touches, but otherwise refrained from taking things much further. Katara had even been willing to pleasure him by hand, but Aang's airbender nature bid him not to `waste life' in the heat of the moment and gently declined. Growing sleepy, Aang pulled Katara against him and curled up cozily behind her for the night.

The next morning saw Aang and Katara flying back to Ba Sing Se. Today, they would break the news to their family and friends. At Aang's insistence, Katara kept her mother's necklace now as a bracelet while the new engagement necklace decorated her throat. Her big, puffy coat concealed both from casual view, but that would work to her advantage, as she could show it only when she was ready to.

The welcome was warm and uproarious. Where they had gone was the question nearly everyone was asking.

“So, what did you have to do at home?” asked Sokka.

“We went penguin sledding for one thing.” Katara beamed, the memory still fresh in her mind. “All the way down to where that Fire Nation ship used to be.”

“What do you mean `used to be'? It's still there… isn't it?”

“Nope.” Aang chipped in. “No one will ever have to see that horrible thing again.”

“Way to go, Twinkle-Toes!” Toph beamed.

“So then what happened?” Sokka continued.

“Then…” Katara said slowly, reaching to pull down the collar of her coat. “Aang gave me this.”

The necklace came into view, and all manner of reactions were to be had. Sokka's jaw hit the floor, Suki wowed at its craftsmanship, and Hakoda congratulated his daughter warmly.

“Um, did you guys forget that I can't see it?” Toph barked after being left in suspense.

“She's got an engagement necklace from Aang.” Suki explained.

“Is it on her neck?” the younger girl stepped towards Katara.

“It is.” Katara answered.

Toph reached forward and touched the pendant lightly with her fingertips. Her eyes widened at the feel of the intricate details.

“Did you… make this, Twinkle-Toes!?” she blinked, a sense of awe in the earthbender's voice.

“I did.” Aang replied. “Why?”

“You didn't earthbend it like this, did you?”

“Nope. All by hand, and boy, did my fingers cramp!”

“Whoa… even I can't do something like with my sandbending! That's so cool!”

“It seems that my nephew will not be the only one getting married this season.” Iroh smiled.

“I should hope not!” added Pakku, finishing his tea. “By the way, Hakoda, are you going to pick Sokka up off the floor or just leave him there?”

“You… my sister…” Sokka stammered, finally some resemblance of a voice to speak with. “…Dad… DAD! YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS!?”

“Of course I did.” Hakoda replied. “Aang came and talked to me yesterday about it.”

“So that's what all that noise was about!” Sokka finally stood back up and approached Aang, extending his hand to him. The two boys stared silently for a moment; there seemed to be a silent acknowledgment between them before shaking hands. A bittersweet smile crossed the older boy's features.

The day went on with much celebration in light of the engagement. Despite the joyous air, Katara could not help but sense some melancholy about her brother. She would have to catch him alone to get him to open up to her; later that night would suit both perfectly.

After mostly everyone had gone off to bed, Katara found Sokka staring up at the full moon from the eastern balcony. He turned at the sound of her approach. She decided not to bother with small talk and get right to the point.

“Is something wrong, Sokka?” she asked.

“What? Why would something be wr—“

“I know you better than that. At least, I should hope that I do. What's on your mind?”

Sokka turned back towards the moon as if it would give him the answers he wanted.

“I want to tell Suki… the same thing, but…”

Realization struck Katara like lightening; her brother was divided between his new love and his first one.

“You're worried about Yue.” She whispered loudly.

“I'm worried about messing up again.”

“Sokka, you did everything that you could for Yue…”

“And it wasn't enough!” he slammed his hand against the wooden ledge. “What if the same thing happens to Suki? I couldn't live with myself if something like that happened again…”

“The war is over now. Something like that is not likely to happen again.”

“Still… I …” his words drifted off, and something akin to embarrassment showed in his eyes. Katara approached to read them better, but he didn't want to look at her. He mumbled something quickly, but the only word Katara could make out was `necklace'.

“What?”

“I don't know how to carve a necklace.” He repeated through clenched teeth. “There, I said it. Are you happy now?”

“Is that what's really bugging you?”

“You've seen my drawings. They're terrible.”

“They at least look something like what you wanted to do.”

“You're just saying that because you're my sister.”

“I'm saying it because it's true. Are you really that worried about carving one for Suki?”

“…yeah…”

Katara thought for a bit. Idly, she scratched an itch on her wrist, and suddenly a solution came to her.

“I think I can help you with that.” She smiled. “Or rather… Mom can.”

Sokka suddenly stared at her, and as if in answer to his inquiring look, she unbound her mother's necklace from her wrist and handed it to him. He took it from her as though it were some delicate, fragile piece, then stared at her, an almost incredulous countenance.

“But,… Katara,” he stuttered. “You've never purposely let this out of your sight! It's all you've got left from Mom, and you're just giving it to me? To give to Suki?”

“I'm wearing Aang's now, and thanks to him and Zuko, I've found some closure in regards to Mom.” A tear fell from her eyes, but she was smiling. “Hopefully, this will help you find some too.”

Sokka stared down at the small heirloom pensively. His sister's words sunk in, and he clutched the necklace like he refused to let it go. Gran Gran had followed her own way, but brought it with her. She had given it to the shy Hakoda many years ago to give to her daughter Kya. When Kya had been killed, the necklace had become a bit of solace for Katara to cling to. Now, his own sister was passing it on to him. It was his turn to be healed by it.

“Thank you, Katara.” He hugged her.