A/N: The ending was supposed to have cynical!Aang, but I thought it didn't sound very Aang-ish, cuz he's usually an adorable little ball of idealism, so I edited it.
Cold.
That's what Katara felt at that instant. It was slightly disturbing and the coldness she felt in her heart shouldn't be there at all.
Aang and Katara, along with Toph, were traveling to the Ba Sing Se to discuss urgent matters with the Earth King, namely the rebellions that were taking place there. They had stopped for the night in a small forest near the seaside after a long day of traveling from the Fire Nation capital. Toph had turned in early, making a rock tent for herself, and teasing the other two not to mess around, lest Sokka kill them both.
They had walked hand in hand along the beach and listening to the steady waves of the ocean, laughing and talking and spraying water at each other, as if the rest of the world and all its troubles and woes have fallen away. After getting themselves thoroughly soaked, they walked back up to the hillside where they had set up camp and sat down near the edge of a cliff. They kept a silent vigil, looking up at the night sky, enjoying each other's company. All seemed to be in peace; both the world and themselves.
Or so it would seem.
Katara laid next to Aang as he closed his eyes and humming a soft melody that she has never heard. A tune that, she was sure, he heard when he was growing up in the Southern Air Temple. His features were perfectly serene and she yearned for that kind of feeling too. A feeling of contentedness, a feeling of safety, a feeling as if everything was right in the world. She knew that there was only one place that she could feel truly at peace:
The South Pole.
Though she hasn't said it out loud to anyone, she knew she was feeling slightly more than a little home-sick. She missed her grandmother, she missed the ice huts, the way the snow falls gently, the way she could stick her tongue out to try to catch a snow flake and the way the cold wind bites at her face. Heck, she even missed the snow storms and how they used to huddle to obtain sufficient warmth. Her father and their tribesmen, together with Sokka and Suki, went back to the South Pole to help with the construction work there.
Sokka had asked her to come along and her heart ached with longing. She had wanted to say yes, and she had wanted to ask Aang to tag along too. The poor guy had been stuck in the Fire Nation capital for a month since their mini vacation to Ba Sing Se for the opening of Iroh's teashop, and she thought that it would be a great chance for Aang to meet the rest of her family (actually Gran Gran and the whole village) as her official boyfriend. Besides, he would be able to take some time off to relax… and some time off to spend more quality time with her.
However, when she went inside his room that night, and before she could even approach him with this idea of hers, all the plans for the trip that were manifesting inside her brain evaporated.
Aang was hunched over a small table, poring over copious scrolls, looking meticulously at every treaty and all sorts of letters from world leaders regarding their problems and the ongoing rebellions that were not getting better. He looked haggard and positively fatigued, dark circles surrounded his normally cheerful, bright eyes and the light from his candle threw grew shadows on his features that only made his exhaustion stand out even more. Katara's heart broke at the sight of him; he was so young, and yet, he looked so old.
Katara walked tentatively towards him, uncertain on whether or not she should disturb him when he was clearly very busy and needed to be focused on more important political issues. Aang did not notice her presence, which only marked how his full attention was directed to his work, as he was an accomplished Earthbender and would have already picked out the steady crunch of her feet on his carpet by now. She walked over to him, and placed a steady, firm hand on his shoulder.
Aang jumped, and Katara would've laughed at his skittish behaviour if it weren't for the fact that now that they were closer, the signs of his tiredness and fatigue were clearly plastered all over his face, body and mannerisms. Katara frowned; it hurt her to think that all these world leaders were robbing this 13 year old of his precious sleep! This 13 year old had been through so much, endured so much and yet, all these so-called leaders still demanded so much from him. "Oh, hey, Katara," Aang greeted warmly, a grin gracing his lips. She could see the sparkle of light in his eyes again and his face shone with that familiar cheerfulness that she had come to miss so much.
Her heart warmed, but she still could not banish the resentment she felt for all the people that were making Aang work like a slave. She just could not contain the fury that she was feeling inside. It must've been evident in her face for Aang's grin slipped from his lips almost instantly. "I'm sorry, Katara, don't be mad at me, or at any of the politicians for that matter," he added, and Katara was mildly surprised that he could read her like that. "It's just…it's been a very hectic week; Fire Nation Day is coming up and some of the Ozai followers are getting a bit edgy again. I'm fine, honestly."
The earnestness in his voice made her sigh and sat down on his bed that was beside his table. "No, you're not fine, Aang!" Katara said as calmly as she can, resisting the urge to hurl all the parchments and scrolls away from him. "Look at you! You look like you haven't slept in days!" Aang stood up and sat next to her. She still looked quite distraught. "Don't worry, Katara. All this stress comes with being the Avatar… besides, I have to do something to make up for all the free food that Sokka's been taking."
Katara laughed; it wasn't the kind of hearty laughter that he would have like to hear, but it still made him happy that he could cheer her up. "I guess so," she finally conceded. She pecked him lightly on the lips. "Wow," he said, breathlessly. "I guess all I have to do to get a kiss is to work hard, huh?" Katara laughed, and Aang enjoyed the heavenly sound emitting from her lips.
They sat in silence for a while. "Katara," Aang said softly, suddenly serious. She looked at him, surprised at his change of mood. "I had this letter from the Earth King, and he asked me to go over to Ba Sing Se to discuss a few matters with him. I need to go, Katara." The trip that she was planning to take to the South Pole now sounded impossible. "Oh, okay. I'll pack my things then," she said casually, trying to sound offhand and not too disappointed that she couldn't return home.
"No. You go back to the South Pole," Aang said, looking at her. She was, yet again, shocked that he had known her so well. "Sokka was talking to me about going back home and I kinda guessed that you would have wanted to go back home." He tried to look okay with it, tried not to look sad that she was leaving, but the underlying tones in his last statement and the shadow that suddenly covered his grey eyes said everything.
"No, Aang. I just want to be with you. That's all I'm asking," Katara said genuinely. "Really?" Aang asked, looking unsure. "You don't have to. I know how much you missed your home and Gran Gran. And I know how much you want to see what a great job Master Pakku's done there." Katara grinned. "Yeah, you're right. But I want to be with you." To further prove her point, she kissed him, this time, with a bit more passion than the previous one, and that convinced him.
But now, Aang, Katara and Toph were on an island that was really quite close to the South Pole, so much so that the waters and the air on the coast were almost chilly. The feeling of homesickness had grown stronger now, being so close to home, and yet not quite. This was their last stop before passing by the South Pole, and if she doesn't fly there, but instead keep on flying heading to Ba Sing Se, she knew she would have missed her chance to see her home. Maybe if she just told Aang…no, she shouldn't. Not when he needed her the most. But still, she could not dismiss the feeling of sadness that was encompassing her heart; she missed her home, plain and simple.
It hurt her to know that she was so close and yet so far.
"Katara!" Aang said loudly. "Huh?" she said, looking at him, who had propped himself up with an elbow and was staring with concern at her. "I was calling you for a few times now, but you didn't answer. Is something wrong?" his voice was saturated with worry and she felt guilty for wishing that she was in the South Pole and for even contemplating to tell him to drop her off there. "Oh, no, nothing. Nothing at all, I mean, whatever made you think that something was wrong? Nothing's wrong. Honestly!" she babbled in a tone that was an octave higher than her normal voice.
She wanted to smack herself for being such a terrible liar.
"Katara, I know I'm not a lie detector like Toph is, but I'm not an idiot," Aang said, narrowing his eyes. She decided the best thing to do is to refuse to answer. She stared at the sea and tried to reassure him again. "Really, it's nothing."
"You want to go home, don't you?" Aang said quietly, like he knew the answer already. She didn't answer.
"Katara, you should stop torturing yourself! If you want to go, then you should go. I shouldn't be in the way between you and your family."
"I just …really miss them. You, of all people, should know what it's like to be away from your family," she wasn't angry, Aang knew that. She felt the need to explain herself, to say the reason why she wanted to be at the South Pole…and for (Aang was quite sure) feeling unhappy that his company did not quench her longing to be with her family. Aang was understood her motives and he understood she wants to go back, but he could not shake off the miserable feeling creeping in his heart.
"Katara…it's okay. I get it," he said. "You should go back to the South Pole and you should be with your family. And you shouldn't," he paused, emphasizing the word and staring deep into her eyes, "worry about me. I'll be fine." Katara opened her mouth to protest, but Aang silenced her. "Honest."
Perhaps it was the way he said it, perhaps it was his general sweetness and his willingness to let her go even though it clearly pained him to do so, but either reason, Katara hugged Aang and bombarded him with many kisses. "Thank you, Aang, for understanding!" she said joyfully. He laughed, happy that he could make her happy. Then, a shadow passed his face, and his smile was replaced with a frown. Katara let go of him and wanted to ask him if he really wasn't okay. Then, he started to speak.
"The only thing is," Aang said, his voice dropping suddenly to a whisper that Katara had to strain her ears to catch what he was saying. "I'm just scared that you'd want to settle there permanently, and stay there; I know how much you love your home, Katara."
She knew that wasn't everything he had wanted to say, so she kept quiet.
"The thing is, as much as I want to follow you there, and settle with you there, I can't. The thing is, I can't stay at the South Pole. The world needs me, and I can't stay there. You understand?" Katara nodded and remained mute. She could've sworn there were tears in his eyes, and his voice was on the verge of breaking. "I can't give you that; I can't guarantee you security, safety. I can't stay anywhere because of what I need to do. You're my everything, Katara, and I can't stand knowing that we would be apart. I would constantly have to travel, and you would want to stay in the South Pole. And I'm scared that because of my job and your need to be with family, the distance would get in the middle of us."
He looked down, not wanting her to see the tears in his eyes. He suddenly felt her giving a bear hug, and felt the hot tears dripping down onto his toga.
"How can you think that anything could get in the way of us?" she exclaimed, sobbing. "Aang, I won't let you go if you promise not to let me go too." She was crying and he was crying too. And although no words were exchanged, it was clear that the both of them agreed not to let each other go.
Author's Note: There had been a lot of fics out there, saying that Katara and Aang would separate because Katara felt the need to return to the South Pole and settle there permanently and Aang can't follow her because of his Avatar duties. This could've very well happened. But sincerely, in my humble opinion, I wouldn't think that Katara would have left Aang like that. The series showed how devoted she is to him and how she cared about his welfare and that includes his Avatar-related duties. I always picture Katara beside Aang, supporting him in the rebuilding of the world after the war. For goodness' sake, she helped end it! I'm pretty sure she would have wanted to help him heal the world as well. Also, another thing I have noted in the first episode was how she was kind of desperate to leave the village and all the simple, mundane work that she was forced to do. I was getting this vibe from her that …well, to put it quite bluntly, she was bored to death in the South Pole. Suddenly this exciting stranger comes and offers her the world and an amazing adventure, she couldn't refuse. To go back to the South Pole and stay there would be kind of a step back. While I'm sure Katara misses her home and Gran Gran, I think it's quite safe to say that settling there isn't an option, not after all the things she have seen and done. I dunno, I always picture Aang and Katara settling in the Western Air Temple after they get married or them becoming nomads.