I watch as strokes of pink, purple, and orange streak the darkening sky. The warm colors sink lower and lower, closing in on the horizon. Slowly, the light sky begins to fade into a thick royal blue, allowing silver sprinkles to come out. I feel the warm heat leave my face as a soft breeze caresses it, cooling my cheeks and blowing my hair. Water and rock collide fifty meters below, the turbulent waves echoing through my ears, and for some reason, calming my heart.
My feet dangle across the edge of the cliff, my heels gently hitting the stone as they swing. One hand lies behind me, supporting the weight of my body. The other is wrapped around the pendant that hangs from my neck. It slips through and out of my fingers, the cool rock another thing to keep my chest from splitting into two.
"You came."
The voice sent shivers down my spine, but I resisted the urge to turn around. Instead, I let out a deep breath and move my hand to rest above my heart.
"What are you talking about? I always come."
I cringe at the hostility I hear in my voice, and by the sudden stop of footsteps, I can tell that he heard it too.
"I am sorry. I've just been stressed lately." I say as I turn back to look at him. I instantly regret it when I am faced with his bright golden eyes that makes me feel things I shouldn't.
He accepts my apology and moves to sit down beside me. In turn, I fix my gaze upon the sea and close my eyes.
"It's been awhile."
"I am guessing being the Fire Lord doesn't really come with any vacations now does it?"
A soft chuckle escapes his lips which sends my heart in loops.
"No, it doesn't." he says, suddenly turning serious. "It's hard to have a nation used to power understand peace and balance."
"Maybe you should just burn their faces and send them on a journey to defend their honor. We all know how you are all obsessed with honor and even more honor." Emphasizing the word so that he understands that I am just teasing.
He lets out a hearty laugh and lets his golden eyes rest upon me. I am grateful to hear his laugh over the waves, and soon, I start laughing with him.
"I don't get why you always have to make fun of me over that."
"You're just so obsessed with it. I can't help it. Besides, it made you laugh, didn't it?"
"Okay, I'll admit it did. But only you could get away with joking about that."
Butterflies begin to fill my stomach as a blush begins to form on my cheeks. He seems to notice, and looks away, clearing his throat as he does so.
An uncomfortable silence settles between us, not necessarily awkward, but not welcomed either.
"So, the ceremony is tomorrow."
"I know."
"Are you nervous?" as he says this, he looks at me once more. He's staring straight into my own eyes. I can tell that he is searching through the blue to find something. What exactly, I refuse to know. The intensity of his gaze unnerves me and I force myself to look away.
"I…I…" I stumble over my words, not sure what to say. "Of course I am. I mean, who wouldn't be nervous before their wedding?"
He doesn't say anything, but I see his head nod. And the tension continues to grow.
"Thank you for finding the time from your busy schedule to come."
"Are you kidding? There's no way I would have missed this."
But I can hear the strain in his voice that shows just how much of a struggle this whole thing is for him. For me too.
"I'll be busy for quite a while though, so I might not be able to visit for a couple of months or something like that."
"Oh, I understand."
And I do. But I'd be lying if I said those months without him will be easy for me.
"Kata—"
"Yes?"
"Nothing, nothing." He says as he shakes his head. "The sun is low. We should head back before it gets dark."
I say nothing in return and just accept his outstretched hand. He watches as I brush off the dirt from my clothes and lead the way back where everyone was preparing for the rehearsal dinner. I shake my shoulders, trying to get rid of the tension in the air.
"Hey…"
I stop and turn around.
"Yea—"
I am cut off as he steps forward and wraps his arms around me. My arms act on their own and quickly envelop his waist. My cheek rests upon his chest and I feel his breath in my ear. I do not dare look up into his eyes, and we both know why. Instead, I pull him in closer and tighter. Just for a second more. Years of emotions and feelings. Things we cannot speak of. Topics we have always avoided. Every single tear, laughter, and ache I've hid, I try to express through this hug. Just as he is. Nothing is spoken but understanding passes between us.
Then we let go.
The atmosphere changes between us. Lighter and softer. The silence is still present, but this time it is calming. Something that can only be shared between true friends.
As we reach the top of the hill before the village, we share one last moment and watch the sun dip into the horizon. I treasure this moment and bid my farewells. A good bye to all the 'what ifs' and 'could have beens' if things played out differently, if I weren't marrying the most powerful boy in the world tomorrow, but instead the broken but strong boy just mere inches away from me.
And so sunsets will always have a special place in my heart, but I guess they always have. The sun and moon quietly pass each other by, polar opposites, but at the same time, complementary. They worked in perfect synchronization to bring balance upon the world. One incomplete without the other. I guess that's the most troubling thing about the sun and the moon. They work together to help the world, fulfill their duties so that others may go on living their lives peacefully. Everyone believes that the two are complete opposites and could never be combined, much too different, never even given the opportunity. And so, they go along, rising and setting, hardly spending any time with each other. It doesn't matter that they want to be together. Seas and oceans separate them. The world separates them. Unable to ever leave their post due to duty and responsibility, they accept brief passing moments. Mere minutes where they pass each other, never quite touching, but somehow together.