Title: Day 4: "The Airship Returns" (K+ one shot)
Author: A6
Rating: K+
Word count: 2725
Summary/Notes:
Many of us have wondered the sequence of events at the end of Sozin's Comet episode during which many things were left about what happened when the Gaang reunited. Many folks feel like there is a story in that big gap of time. For many it seems too 'smooth' a reunion for Katara and Aang to come home, exchange loving glances at Zuko's coronation, and then a few weeks or months later, walk wordlessly into one of the most passionate kisses ever shown on TV. This fic speculates on the first few anxious minutes of Aang and Katara's reunion from their battles with Sozin and Azula, which sets the stage for the epic kiss at the Jasmine Dragon.
This story is a part of a series of stories written for the Kataang Forever Forum's celebration of Kataang Week 2012 this past July. The story fits the Day 4 theme of "Happy Beginnings/In Bloom" - about Aang and Katara's blossoming love affair.
Zuko and Katara stood on the elevated veranda overlooking the huge plaza where they had fought and defeated Azula. Behind them were a number of nervous aides to the new Fire Lord.
Katara paced, wringing her hands. Zuko pleaded, "Katara, please calm down, I am sure he is all right."
Zuko wished he had not said that. Her eyes were like one of her icy daggers, "We don't know that, Zuko. That white light across the straits scared me terribly. I've seen it once before, when he emerged from the iceberg. What does it mean, Zuko?"
Zuko shook his head sadly, and said, "I don't know Katara. I hope it means he's still alive."
Katara was not convinced and added, "Or it means that was the last of his life energy. We have no idea what happens when an Avatar dies."
Zuko rubbed his forehead, and urged, "Katara, please don't think that way."
Katara wouldn't let go of her worry, and her eyes welled up, as she fretted, "What if it is, Zuko? I never had the nerve to tell him I love him. He could be dead, and then he'll never know..."
"You two should have worked that out better on the night of Ember Island play," scolded Zuko, and he immediately wished he had the words back.
Katara had the urge to slap him, but knew he was right.
Tired of arguing and worrying, they stood silently, scanning the eastern horizon.
It seemed like an eternity before Katara yelled, "Look! There! It's the Fire Lord's airship!"
Zuko swung around to bark orders to his new generals, who were still trembling in fear about the new Fire Lord. They were still not sure what to make of the banished heir who had come home by surprise and taken over. With his formidable water bender ally, known to be the Avatar's woman, they had defeated his sister, who had been designated by the Phoenix King himself to be the new Fire Lord. None of them were sure who to fear most – Zuko or his father. There had not been a coup in Fire Nation history for centuries.
This Zuko was not the weakling exiled Prince from four years ago. He had authority, and was an accomplished fire bender. Two generals went down before they learned that lesson. Plus they had heard nothing about Ozai's attack on the Earth Kingdom. Hearing nothing at all was very bad news.
"Prepare for an attack!" Zuko ordered.
"But sire...it's one of ours. It could be the Phoenix King."
Zuko snarled, "Just do it!"
"As you wish," agreed his aide bitterly. Zuko was upset that he was probably going to have to replace all of the leadership of the court. "Welcome to the world of Fire Lording," he mused to himself.
With new loyalties and obedience literally only hours old, Zuko could not let show his anxiety over whether any of his orders would be followed, particularly any directed against his father, the Phoenix King
The airship continued to approach. Rather than bristle with warriors and weapons ready to strike down the new Fire Lord, it appeared to be peacefully cruising into the capital. The airship seemed heavily damaged, burned and missing some engines and exterior catwalks.
And it was the only one that returned. That disheartened the Ozai loyalists immensely.
Just when Zuko was about to give the order to fire against the airship, Suki, Sokka, and Toph leaned out one of the broken windows, and started waving.
Sokka yelled with all his might over the din of the remaining engines, "It's all over. We've defeated Ozai. We have taken him as our prisoner!"
Katara squealed with excitement, and applauded.
Zuko was astonished and pondered, "Prisoner? Not dead? Perhaps Aang did accomplish his promise to us."
Part of Zuko was grateful to that his father was still alive. Monster or not, Ozai was still his father. It struck him that Aang already understood that.
Then Sokka proceeded to do one his patented silly cheers.
"Your brother always has a way with words, Katara," muttered Zuko.
Katara answered back, "Get used to it Fire Lord, you're looking at the future Chief of the Southern Water Tribe."
Zuko thumped his palm against his forehead, and Katara suppressed a giggle.
Katara waved and yelled back at them,"That's wonderful! Way to go guys!"
But Katara immediately fretted to herself, "Where is Aang? What cost was there in capturing the Phoenix King?"
Zuko ordered his guards, "Stand down your weapons, now!"
All of them were relieved that they didn't have to fire upon their own ship. The airship landed roughly in the giant plaza. It would not likely ever fly again. Zuko, Katara, and a large group of royal guardsmen approached the command gondola. Its loading hatch opened.
What they saw was a welcome sight. Suki had a death grip on Ozai. He seemed very different. His strength seemed gone. He didn't look at his son, and said nothing. Zuko glared at his defeated father.
He spoke to his father like a war criminal, "Phoenix King Ozai, you have committed crimes against the Fire Nation and the World. You are deposed as of this moment. I am Fire Lord now, by right of Agni Kai against my sister. The title 'Phoenix King' is an abomination, and is abolished. Take my father away."
The guards hesitated at Zuko's orders. Ozai couldn't help but smirk.
Zuko drew his twin swords, and stuck one an inch from his Chief of Staff's neck and growled, "I said: take him and put him in prison. Right now."
"Y-y-yes, sire," agreed the terrified aide. The aide garnered more respect for Zuko with each passing moment.
Suki spoke, "Fire Lord Zuko, I am not leaving Ozai's side until the jail doors are locked and he is behind them. I trust no one. Ozai cannot be permitted to escape."
To deliver a clear message his staff, Zuko spoke to Suki by her official title, also, picking up her tip, "Thank you, Kyoshi Warrior Captain Suki."
The staff flinched at this. Despite not being in the green uniform, the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors could take them all down in seconds, despite not being a bender.
Suki and a cadre of palace guards escorted Ozai away. She kept them all in front of her at all times. Zuko was impressed with Suki's honed warrior talents. If only these palace guards had a fraction of her talent. Or loyalty. These first few hours and days of his rule were very tentative times, and Zuko took special note of her caution for his own dealings.
Zuko breathed a sigh of relief. The hard part was over for now. It was time to receive their friends home. Sokka propped himself in the airship hatch, but without the extra strength of Suki, Toph could only steady him.
Toph yelled, "Someone bring a stretcher; your brother broke his leg."
Sokka winced and blubbered, "Worse, I lost my boomerang and space sword."
Katara rushed to give him a big hug, "Sorry Sokka, but at least you're still here."
Toph said, "Wait till you hear the story. It pains me to say, but your brother did a great job, Katara."
Katara's exasperation got the best of her, and pleaded, "Guys, where's Aang?"
Toph hesistated, "Uh, Katara, he's..."
Katara's heart was in her throat. "Tell me!" she screamed.
Toph assured her, "Relax Katara, he's sleeping in the crew bunk cabin. Twinkletoes has been through a heck of a battle. Suki and Sokka saw most of it. You would be so proud, Katara. He did everything he promised he would, and then some. He slept all the way back."
Sokka noted, "We didn't want to wake him."
Toph added as she winked, "We thought you might want to."
Sokka's shoulder was still sore from both Suki and Toph wrestled him to the cabin floorboards to prevent him from disturbing Aang so that Katara could apply her personal touch to waking Aang on their return.
Katara rushed past them to find the crew cabin and Aang.
Sokka complained, "Hey sis! What about my leg?"
Katara yelled over her shoulder, "Later, Sokka, it's still attached."
Toph frowned and punched him, "Dummy. She has to go to him."
Katara ran as fast as she could, following the signs. Breathless, Katara stood in the door of the crew sleeping cabin deep inside the air ship. She stopped in her tracks, and was shocked to see him. He was filthy dirty, burned, beaten and torn up. This was far too much like after the catacombs. He was so still.
She pulled the hatch closed and locked it. No one, nothing would disturb what she now must do. He was still asleep.
She edged herself on to his bunk softly, so as to not disturb him. She could see him sleep and dream fitfully. He was clearly still in a lot of pain.
She thought, "It's now or never, Katara. It's the end of fighting the war together, but it's the beginning of making something new together.
She leaned down slowly to his sleeping form and kissed him softly on the cheek, and he awoke.
His eyes fluttered open, and thought, "Wow. Life imitates fantasy."
He had been dreaming about being kissed by Katara.
Resisting the urge to aggressively hug her injured young man, she beamed at him, ran her hand along his cheek, and said softy, "You came back to me..."
He answered just as quietly as he touched her arm, "I did. I had a great dream just now. But waking up to you was far better."
"What was it about?" she inquired.
"A good friend I know." He said simply.
"Someone I know?" she grinned knowing he meant her.
He just smiled.
She took a good look at him. She touched him tenderly, avoiding the injured areas, "You're warm, Aang."
She pulled water right out of the humid air around them, chilled it, and soothed his forehead with the cool water.
He leaned into her touch, closed his eyes, and said, "Umm, You sure know how to take care of a guy, Katara."
He let her soothe him for a few minutes, savoring her touch and the cool water.
"Oh dear, Aang, you're so beaten up and burned."
He grinned, "I've been beaten up and burned worse."
She looked at him with sad eyes, knowing exactly what he meant.
"This is getting to be a habit I don't like, Aang," she said and continued to cool his head.
"I'll try not to let it happen again. I think I took care of things permanently this time, and you must have too."
"Yes we did," She cupped his face tenderly and smiled.
"I've taken care of you before, Aang. Let me do it again."
She bent water from her pouch, and worked all his wounds and injuries with her glowing gentle hands.
She invited her 'patient' to talk, "So, tell me all about what happened."
Aang retorted, "As long as you tell me your story."
They laughed lightly.
So as Katara treated and healed every gash, burn, and bruise on Aang, they learned of each other's battles.
At the end of their stories, Katara gushed, "I'm so proud of you, Aang. You told us what you were going to do and you did it. And bending the energy with oneself? That's amazing! It is a wonderful gift from the spirits. That must have been the light soaring up into the heavens I saw."
Her voice quivered, "For a moment I thought...I thought..."
She hugged him tight, and whispered into his ear.
"Oh Aang, right then I thought I'd lost you forever."
"But you didn't," he mused. "I'm right here." He wiped her tears.
They broke apart for a minute, but held both hands tightly. It thrilled Aang that she was so open with her affection.
"I'm very proud of you too, Katara. You had the chance to take Azula's life to save Zuko, and you didn't."
"I pitied her Aang. I remembered again what you told me about Yon Rha. Zuko and I watched Azula disintegrate right in front of us. She needs help, not death."
She leaned back, returned her water to its pouch, her healing glow subsided, and asked, "So...how does that feel?"
"I think I'm as good as new, Katara."
"No, you're not," she stated flatly.
He stretched his arms and legs to test their mobility.
He spoke confidently, "No, really, Katara, I think you got it all. Believe me, I know everywhere I was hurting and you fixed all those places."
Katara insisted, "You're not healed yet."
She gave Aang a very serious look, but she had glimmer in her eyes he'd only seen couple of times. Every time before, it had meant a kiss on the cheek, or when they were in the cave together, his lips.
"What do you mean?" his heart beat faster. He was starting to understand what was coming.
She put her hands on his chest over his heart and pretended to heal him again.
"There is an aching heart in there, and I hurt it. I hurt it badly a long time before the battle. I need to fix it now."
For once Aang prevented himself from saying something stupid, and just looked kindly at her with his gray eyes. That melted her inside.
She leaned down to him as he lay on the bunk, and proceeded to give him a light kiss, then another has he leaned up into it, and then to his delight, a very intense, deep kiss as they completely opened up to each other.
It was like nothing she had ever done to him, nor had he ever felt before. This was everything he ever imagined or hoped would come true between him and Katara.
"Erm...Katara, is it safe to say you aren't confused anymore?"
They laughed heartily, and she held his hands tightly in hers.
"Yes, oh yes, Aang," and the embraced again, showering each other with kisses. They could not get enough of being close together in each other's arms.
In only a few minutes, they were breathless. They were panting and stroking each other's faces and necks. Aang ran his fingers through her beautiful long hair.
"I waited for this for so long, Katara."
"Am I worth the wait?" she whispered demurely.
Aang blushed and answered her, "Yes, Katara. Very much so."
"So does this mean what I think it does? He inquired.
Katara answered without hesitating, "Yes it does, with all my heart."
"And you know you already have mine."
"I always knew that, and I'm so sorry it took me so much longer to figure it all out," explained Katara.
"Don't be sorry. You always were the one with all the common sense in this relationship," observed Aang.
"I like that Aang...our relationship," smiled Katara.
The whispered 'I love you's' that followed made their ears tickle, and caused them both to blush.
They were well into another earnest kiss, when a polite knock came at the cabin hatchway. It was Suki, and she asked, "Are you two done chatting? Your brother is really getting obnoxious about this leg."
Suki was always so discrete. She knew everything, but she'd never tell.
"We'll be right there," said Aang cheerily. The pair unwrapped from their close hug, and sat up, rearranging themselves to debark from the airship.
Katara stood up first, reached out to him, and coyly announced, "Take my hand."
They snickered, enjoying the turnabout offer from the dance that seemed so long ago.
Sokka saw them as they emerged hand-in-hand, radiating their feelings for each other as they exited the airship and walked down the gangplank.
He thought, "Oh no, my greatest fear with those two - now the oogies start..."