A/N: Merry Christmas to everyone! :D
This started out as an idea for a fluffy fanfic, but unfortunately, I still remain unable to write stories of that genre. So now you have this. And no, I have no idea where I'm getting all this angst.
I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Most people knew Aang as the all-powerful Avatar, the master of all four elements, the savior of the world, and the founder of Republic City. At least, those were how he was referred to on the cards of various gifts and bouquets of flowers sent to them. Well, with the exception of Toph's card, which read:
Heartfelt condolences to Twinkletoes's family. I still don't believe he really left; he was never good at leaving you, Sugar Queen.
From his earthbending sifu,
Chief Toph Beifong
In spite of the teasing, the words on the card (which had been written by her daughter Lin, without a doubt) were a bit smudged. Katara knew that Toph would blame it on the sea spray that had probably gotten onto the card during the ferry ride, but the master waterbender knew that even the rock-hard Chief of Police and her daughter loved Aang dearly. They had, in fact, sent a mini earth sculpture of the Avatar (which they had done themselves), along with beautiful flowers.
In stark contrast to the flamboyant and expensive gifts that surrounded her husband, however, all Katara had was something small and fragile, something probably considered even cheesy or corny. Not that she cared, though. Aang wouldn't care either. She knew him, and she knew that only he would be able to see the deeper meaning of her present.
After all, he was Aang—her best friend, the guy who would fearlessly ride the Elephant Koi just to get her attention. He was the one who reminded her how fun penguin sledding was, the one who taught her that it doesn't hurt to be a kid every once in a while, that there was a bright side to everything. He was her constant reminder of how blessed she was in life.
He was the guy who could turn a fishing line into a beautiful necklace, basic combat moves into a gravity-defying dance, and a mail system into the world's greatest rollercoaster. He was the airbender who would scour the world for his bison, and was a fierce protector of his people's traditions. He was the most powerful bender in the world; he had the capability to defeat a ruthless, comet-strengthened, and power-hungry Fire Lord at age twelve yet he wouldn't hurt a fly.
He was the vegetarian who absolutely detested sea prunes but forced them down his throat all the same just to please her, her studious waterbending pupil who would drop everything to save her from the slightest hint of danger. He was her source of good counsel, at times even her conscience.
He was also her first kiss, her first dance, and her first date. He was the one who never saw fault in her, the one who could make everything all right.
He was her sweet, goofball husband who sometimes acted like her fourth child, the arbiter of any family fight, the tireless father of her three beautiful children. He was the martyr who stuck by her even through all her irrationalities, their fights, her bossiness, and her pettiness, as well as the living hell that was also known as her pregnancies—mustn't forget that.
In ways unfathomable, he always knew how to cheer her up, how to make her laugh; he was the one who always reminded her how to smile during times when she forgot. He was the one thing that made the burden of losing her mother lighter. He was bravery, sincerity, kindness, compassion, friendship, and love all at the same time.
But most of all, he was the boy in the iceberg, the embodiment of her hope, and the beginning of her life. He was the world's Avatar, but he was her Aang.
He never liked accepting presents from her, though he showered her with them. He would tell her that she and their children were already more than enough. He often won those arguments, but this time, she absolutely refused to let that happen—aside from that fact that he was in no position to argue anyway, she couldn't let go of what Sokka had told her a few days ago.
FLASHBACK
"Man, I miss that guy a lot," Sokka told her, sighing. He and his family had been at Air Temple Island ever since Katara frantically called about Aang's deteriorating health.
His sister smiled sadly. "I remember when we were just teenagers trying to save the world."
The warrior laughed. "Fire Nation soldiers breathing down our necks or not, we had a good time, huh?"
She grinned. "Remember when we dressed up as Aang's parents because he got in trouble at that Fire Nation school?"
"We were Sapphire and Wang Fire, right?" he recalled fondly. "Ah, those days when I still needed to put on fake facial hair," he said, touching his graying beard. The two siblings burst out laughing.
"Oh, remember Makapu Village, with all that fortune-telling trash you two practically ate up?" Sokka asked.
"Hey," Katara said defensively. "For your information, Aunt Wu told me I would marry a powerful bender, and I did."
"Really." Sokka was unimpressed. "But she was wrong about the volcano."
"True," she admitted. "That reminds me, how'd you and Aang know the volcano was going to erupt? You never told me."
"Well, while you were basically wringing out your entire life from that lady, Aang dragged me up to the rim of the volcano just to get some stupid flower . . . a panda lily, I think. He was really hung up over some girl . . ." Sokka gasped, pointing at her wildly. "Wait a minute, that was you! He was trying to win you over even back then, right under my nose!"
Katara paid no attention to his lamentations of not figuring out that Aang liked her sooner. She just sat there, in a stunned, guilty reverie, floored by the revelation.
END FLASHBACK
The pang of remorse still struck her at the memory. She knew perfectly well what a panda lily was—it was a symbol of true love. Aang used to make sure the flower vase by their bed always had one in it, and now she knew why there was a certain expression in his eyes whenever he looked at the black-and-white flower.
But he had always gotten those from Republic City's market. To think that decades ago, when she saw him only as a friend, he had actually climbed up an active volcano just to get her one, and never told her . . .
Oh, Aang and his darn undying love for her. His humility added to her guilt—he never even wished to be acknowledged for his acts. If he never told her about the panda lily, what else had he done simply out of love for her that she didn't know?
Back when they were dating, they used to have cheesy, playful arguments about who loved the other more, being the sappy, in-love teenagers that they were. Both of them had beaten the other at some point, but she now knew that she could never have truly won a single one. She could just imagine the playful yet affectionate "I won" smirk he would have given her.
She walked closer to him. Her light footsteps echoed around the room; no one was inside besides her. It was midnight on the fifth day of the wake; the guests had all left and she had requested everyone else to give her time to visit him alone.
"I never deserved you, Aang. But I love you all the same," she whispered, gently inserting a panda lily in between his folded hands. She had picked it straight from the rim of Makapu Volcano, just as he did for her, so long ago. It was high time she returned the favor.
She smiled as her tears fell. His ashen face seemed just a tiny bit brighter. "Good-bye." She leaned down kissed him one last time, right on his arrow tattoo.
She leaned back, gazing at him. It had only been days since he had last talked to her, and the sense of loss and grief gripped her heart as she remembered the mischievous glint in his gray eyes, his winning grin. Never again would they spend full moon nights waterbending together, warm summer nights strolling on the beach. She already missed the flutter in her heart every time he smiled at her in that special way, his affectionate words, his strong embrace, and his lighthearted disposition.
With a sigh, she wiped her eyes and looked straight ahead, instead of up. She believed in Toph's message. She just knew his spirit was right there, watching her. Smiling at her. After all, he had promised never to leave her. "Avatar's promise," he had said.
"I miss you already," she said to the seemingly empty room. The brokenness in her voice surprised even her.
As if in response, a light breeze blew from the window, gently caressing her cheek. Katara smiled and closed her eyes as she held her hand to the same spot the wind had touched her. It seemed to take away her pain, her sorrow—indeed, he hadn't left her.
"You always keep your promises," she murmured to the wind, a small smile on her lips.
With a lighter heart, she turned around and walked quietly out of the room.
Kataang just cannot be emphasized enough, be it in pure fluff or angst or tragedy.
Feedback and constructive criticism would mean a lot to me. :)