I've finally gotten around to posting something on here. Amazing, isn't it? What with my senior year of high school starting, I'm pretty busy, but I'll try to update here fairly regularly.
This little oneshot is speculative. What if all the Avatars were born in the season pertaining to their new element? For example, a Firebender Avatar born in the summer. I'd been mulling this thought over in my mind for awhile when the idea for this oneshot struck me. My amazingly awesome beta, Liselle129, pointed out that this isn't quite canon. So - in order to not confuse you - I'd like to say that there is no evidence whatsoever that this is true.
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. But I do own a cute little Pomeranian and he says, "Hi!"
It's like this every year, Aang reflected as he jogged to catch his wife before she made it out the door.
It was winter again, and there were many reasons he didn't like winter. The cold for one; even though he was used to chilly temperatures, it was a little uncomfortable when flying high in the frigid air. Smaller portions of vegetables were another complaint of the vegetarian. And it was just plain annoying when Sokka came to visit every day and left piles of snowmelt around the house.
But the worst part was the constant anxiety permeating the Avatar's house. It didn't even stop there, though that would've been bad enough. The dark cloud of worry hung heavily over the homes on either side. Toph was on the left – the girl trying to be tough despite the obvious concern he could see in her eyes – and Sokka and Suki were on the right – the Water Tribe warrior attempting to make a joke of it and the Kyoshi warrior equally annoying with her sympathy.
And then there was Katara. His wife seemed to spend every waking, winter moment worrying over him. He'd even heard her fearfully mumble his name in her sleep, for spirit's sake! And today was no exception.
Catching her elbow as she crossed the threshold, Aang pulled her to a stop just inside the door. Although it was obvious to both of them that she'd been caught sneaking away again, Katara feigned innocence.
"Yes, Aang? Did you want something?" She didn't look at him as she said this, confirming Aang's apprehensions.
Narrowing his eyes, he slowly, suspiciously asked, "Where are you going?"
Katara made another useless attempt to leave through the open door. However, her husband's hand had never left her arm, and he easily drew her back inside. This time he made a show of shutting the door and leaning against it.
Aang asked her again. "Where are you going, Katara?" His tone of voice left no room for arguments or excuses.
The Waterbender looked him in the eye and said bluntly, "Somewhere without you."
"Katara!"
"What?" she shouted. "You know why you can't go! Sokka, Suki, Toph, and I are perfectly capable of handling this without you."
"This?" he asked, his voice a notch too high. "What is 'this?' Are there more Firebender rebels attacking somewhere? Is someone in trouble? What?"
Katara put her hand to her head, as if she were too fatigued to deal with him. Aang waited; she would tell him. She always did.
"Nothing. It's nothing."
Eventually.
"Katara, I'll be fine." Aang pleaded, exasperated by the yearly argument. "I've been trapped in this house all winter!" At a look from his wife, he grudgingly corrected himself. "Okay, I've gone to Toph's and Sokka's houses. But it's nearly spring! Only a few weeks are left of winter. There's hardly any chance that I'll-" He cut himself off. The subject was a sore one for his wife, and he hated to trouble her. So he finished lamely, "That it'll happen this year."
Katara simply looked at him, arms crossed, stubborn as always. He met her eyes with a steely gaze of his own.
Then she spoke. "Any chance at all is too great a risk." Aang let out a cry of aggravation. "Aang, you know why I can't let you go! Why do you have to be so difficult?" She threw up her hands to further emphasize her frustration. "We go through this every year! Do I need to remind you? Don't you understand?"
Suddenly their angry faces were inches apart, and Aang was yelling back. "Of course I understand!" He stepped back and paced a few steps away. "I'm the one whose life depends on it! I'm the one who could die!"
Katara flinched, and he immediately regretted his choice of words. Taking a breath to steady himself, he continued more calmly, "Katara, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"To what?" she interrupted testily. "To remind me that I could lose you? Believe me, I don't need the reminder." Aang sighed and rubbed his face. She watched him for a moment, seemingly taking advantage of the reprieve to calm down and collect her wits. "Aang," she began slowly. "What if this is the year?" He looked away, avoiding her gaze because he knew that her eyes would beg him to understand and agree with her. "What if there is just enough winter left for you to…" She faltered, then caught herself. "To die and become the next Water Tribe Avatar?"
Aang finally allowed himself to look at her and he hated what he saw; hated that she was struggling to not break down in tears; hated that she held herself defensively, as if to ward off both danger and pain.
"I can't lose you, Aang," she breathed, drawing air quickly to try to hold back a sob, one that the Avatar didn't fail to notice. He stepped closer and enveloped her in a comforting embrace. Katara wrapped her arms around him but seemed determined to remain somewhat composed.
Neither one moved for a few moments, content to let their physical contact speak emotions that couldn't be put into words. Squeezing her gently, Aang stepped back, converting the tight hug into a loose embrace.
"I don't plan on giving you the opportunity to miss me," he whispered softly.
Katara gave him a sad smile. "I know you don't, but things happen. Things that you can't always control."
He acknowledged her point with a slow nod. "But what about you? I can't lose you either. What if something happens to you while you're out there protecting the world for me? Something you can't control?"
"I won't let anything happen," she said firmly, but he knew she understood what he was trying to tell her.
He softly said, "Neither will I."
A moment of silence punctuated the unspoken agreement between them.
"So," Aang said. "Are you going to tell me where you're going?" He could tell that she knew what he was doing - giving her another chance to reconsider.
"You'll have to convince the others," she warned.
He tilted his head forward, resting his forehead on hers. "Piece of cake."
Katara smiled. "I think you mean 'we.'" She gave him a soft kiss and took his hand, opening the door and leading him out. "And I'll tell you where we're going on Appa."
Aang grinned and followed her out into the cold, winter day.
Don't forget to review! And I'll be posting many more oneshots here, so keep an eye out for more of The Avatar Files.