Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or 'At the Beginning' from Anastasia.

Well this is a song that I absolutely adore, and it sort of inspired this little oneshot. If you don't know the song or you haven't seen the movie, you really should! They're both great works of art. Well, on to the story!

Much love and cupcakes,

DM1301

At the Beginning

Katara woke up to a bright and beautiful morning dawning in the Earth Kingdom. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. The sun was barely up. Katara stood, something telling her to go outside onto the balcony. She opened the double doors and a gentle breeze greeted her. She walked out into the cool air. Not many households were up yet, so there were few lights that were lit in the city. Some stars still stubbornly twinkled as the sun started to sleepily rise above the city. Katara smiled, and breathed in the air around her. 'It's so beautiful here without a war going on,' she thought. As another breeze washed over her, she caught movement out of the corner of her left eye. She turned her head to see Aang sitting on the roof near the window to his room. 'He must be meditating,' thought Katara. Aang turned towards her, smiled slightly, then turned back towards the city. He was sitting cross legged, his elbows resting on his knees, his back bent. 'Or maybe not...' thought Katara. 'He usually sits up straight when he meditates... I should go check on him.' Katara walked back inside and out of her room into the hallway. Aang's room was two doors down from hers. She walked down the hall to his door. It was mostly closed. Katara pushed it open and walked in. His bed was neatly made, meaning either he didn't sleep at all or he had made it before going out on the roof. With Aang, it was a gamble. Katara looked to the wall opposite her, where the window was. It was open, the gentle breezes caressing the curtains. She walked to the window and poked her head out. Aang was slightly right of the window, enough so that if a person looked in his room, they wouldn't see him outside the window. Katara climbed through and slowly made her way to join him. She sat next to him. He didn't say anything.

"Aang? You okay?" she gently asked. He stayed quiet.

"Did you ever think about what your life would've been like if you had never found me?" he suddenly asked after a time. His voice had a serious tone, he wasn't just asking for curiosity's sake, she could tell. He had a real reason. She looked at him. His face was hard. This was really bothering him. She looked towards the horizon.

"No, not really."

"Do you think you would've been... happier?" Katara was surprised by his question, but didn't show it. She kept her cool as she answered.

"Not at all." Aang turned to her with a confused look on his face.

"Why not? You could've been safe, be married by now, be thinking of kids..." His voice sounded sad. Katara looked at him. He'd turned back to the horizon. She put her hand on the side of his face and turned it towards her.

"Aang, at the beginning, we were complete strangers. No one ever told me I was going to find you. I took a chance going with you. Neither of us had any idea what we were going to go through or what could possibly result from it. Yes, it was hard. Yes, sometimes I'd wondered if life would have been easier if I'd stayed behind. But I know that I wouldn't have been happier." Aang began to look skeptical. Katara continued to speak before he had a chance to interrupt. "I've been waiting for you my whole life Aang. I just didn't know it. You made, are making, life the most wonderful journey and love the most exciting road. And I'm not leaving you. I want to be at the beginning of every journey and road with you, and only you." Katara kissed him sweetly. "Forever."

Aang thought about this for a moment. He reached out and hugged her to him tight, her hugging him right back just as hard. "Thank you," he whispered. "For everything."

Well I'm not entirely sure if this turned out the way I wanted it, but I like it all the same. I hope you did too.

DM1301