Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender – it is the property of Nickelodeon. The only thing to which I have any rights is the original plot, narration, and story that I create with the characters of the show.

::One::

…...It Began to Rain...

They had saved the world when it teetered on the brink, but they still had to sleep on rocks and dirt. For Toph, this was preferable, but for everyone else, it just left aches and cramps that even Katara's bending couldn't entirely get rid of.

"Can't we find some nice inn for once?" Sokka complained. He lazily rolled up his sleeping bag with a large yawn. Appa yawned louder and longer, getting up on his thick legs after shaking his white fur free of dirt.

"You know we don't have any money for that, Sokka." Katara's voice came from the saddle atop Appa where she was securing their supplies.

"And why don't we have any money! People should be showering us with gifts and kindness and meat! We saved the world, and we haven't gotten anything from it!" Sokka groaned. In a matter of seconds he was kicked into the air with the punch of an earth pillar.

"All I've heard from you is complaints since we dropped Suki off." Toph then pointed at Katara, shouting, "I told you we shoulda left the two lovebirds!" Katara nimbly slipped off Appa, graciously rubbing his side once she was on the ground.

"If we did, Suki wouldn't be able to train the new Kyoshi warriors." Katara said. Sokka dragged himself up off the ground, dusting himself off indignantly. He adjusted his ponytail and smoothed out his shirt. At first, he looked smugly at Katara and Toph. It quickly melted as he fell to his knees.

"I miss my Suki!" He cried, sobbing audibly. Katara rolled her eyes and continued loading supplies onto Appa with Toph's help. Over Sokka's sobs they heard the chattering of a lemur. Looking overhead, Katara watched as Momo and Aang began to descend from their scavenging trip. At the sight of Aang, though, Katara began to closely inspect the supplies.

Aang folded his staff and whirled the air to cushion his landing. Momo then perched himself on Aang's shoulder, feasting on a juicy mango that he had found.

"What's wrong with Sokka?" Aang asked. He quirked an eyebrow at the broken teen.

"Guess, Twinkletoes." Toph said. She walked over to Appa and clumsily climbed into the saddle. Aang's face softened and he gave a gentle smile.

"You'll see Suki again soon, Sokka." He tried to reassure Sokka, but the young man's antics continued. The airbender reached into his bag and pulled out some ripe fruits he had found.

"I found some food." Aang said. Three milliseconds later, Sokka's eyes were dry and he was stuffing his face with the fruit. The other three laughed.

"I guess the way to a man's heart really is through his stomach." Toph said. Katara smirked, replying, "I'm pretty sure Sokka's heart IS his stomach." Aang smiled, jumping gracefully onto Appa's back. The bison gave a low groan in reply. Aang smiled widely at Katara, handing her a shiny pear-apple. The waterbender gave a weak smile back, taking the fruit and beginning to munch on it absentmindedly. Aang attempted to ignore the distant actions of Katara as he gave the other fruits to Toph.

"Ready?" Aang asked, twirling in the air and landing at the reigns of his bison. Sokka climbed into the saddle, face sticky with fruit juices. The scraps and bits that Sokka had dropped on the ground were quickly snatched and nibbled on by Momo before Appa took a powerful leap into the sky. Soon they were soaring among the clouds of the Southern Earth Kingdom, bound for Ba Sing Se once more.

"So what now?" Toph asked as she picked clumps of rock and dirt from between her toes.

"Now we go see the Earth King and help rebuild the wall and outer villages. Now that Zuko's ordered the retreat of all Fire Nation soldiers, we need to help transition everyone back to peace." Aang replied, throwing his voice over his shoulder.

"Aww. But we just finished going to the Fire Nation!" Sokka whined. Katara tensed a bit, staring out into the clouds that streamed by fluidly. Momo walked up to her, turning his head and gazing at her with his large, green eyes. Katara smiled and gave the lemur a piece of her pear-apple.

"Is it just gonna be politics and babysitting from here on in?" Toph asked. "Cause this whole world supervising thing is b-o-r-i-n-g."

"Would you rather the entire Earth Kingdom be burnt to the ground?" Sokka retorted. Toph shrugged off the concept lightly, adding "No. But peace isn't very exciting after you've gone and fought off an entire army." At this, no one could really reply. Aang always wanted peace and nonviolence, but he had thought that once peace had settled he and Katara could...could just be happy. Be happy together. But the world had decided that his job as the Avatar wasn't over yet.

Katara opened her canteen, bending the water from it. Her agile fingers twisted and swayed, causing the water to fluidly shape and reshape itself. She watched it flow, calming herself while watching its naturally graceful movements. She froze it into a sculpture of Bosco, the Earth King's bear, and then melted it to continue bending it into ambiguous shapes.

"Is something bothering you, Katara?" Aang said, floating over to the saddle. Katara lost control of the water. It flew and splashed Sokka in the face.

"Aahh!" He shouted, trying to wipe the water from his eyes.

"Sorry!" Katara apologized quickly. She bent the water back into her canteen and closed it. She looked to Aang and was met with concerned silk eyes.

"I'm fine, Aang." Katara answered shortly with a subdued voice. Aang simply sat there for a moment, studying his love.

"Are you sure?" He asked, voice cracking a bit, giving away his youth.

"Yes, Aang...I...I'm just a little tired, that's all." Katara said while massaging a strand of her chocolate hair. For the moment, Aang accepted that answer. He placed a hand on her shoulder tenderly.

"You should get some rest, Katara. It'll be a long trip." Aang said. Before he could even lean in to kiss her, Katara nodded and laid down, moving one of the sleeping bags over to pillow her head. Sokka, Toph, and Aang exchanged glances over Katara's weird behavior.

The waterbender found herself lethargically falling asleep. The whooshing cool air and the general silence of the brilliant day were all seducing her into sleep. Like a cat, she curled her body tightly, relishing in the heat of the sun on her almond skin.

Once her breathing steadied and she seemed to be asleep, Aang shifted over to Toph and Sokka.

"Is she sick or something?" Aang asked. Sokka shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"Yeah, if she was sick, I'd be able to tell. She's working fine." Toph added. She wiggled her toes pleasantly before focusing on the hushed discussion.

"Maybe she really is just tired, Aang." Sokka suggested. The airbender nodded but didn't buy it. He knew there was something bothering his beautiful waterbender!

"Or maybe she's lovesick like Sokka." Toph smirked. Unbeknownst to her, Aang gave Toph a serious glare at such notion.

"She's not lovesick." Aang said; it wasn't a suggestion – it was a statement. Deciding that talking with his friends wasn't helping at all, Aang returned to his position by the reigns of his bison.

"I was just kidding." Toph said, stunned by the reaction she had gotten. She always joked with everyone, especially Twinkletoes. She didn't deserve to get such a snarky remark! Toph huffed and went back to picking her toes. Sokka, however, looked long and hard at his baby sister. He was wondering if maybe, while Toph had been kidding...that she was actually right.

Hours passed, and the sunlight began to disappear behind large mountain ranges. Appa was flying at a much slower pace, though still keeping his flight constant. Aang awoke from his nap, Sokka at the helm with Momo. For the most part, Appa didn't need any directing. Still, it was good to have someone watching. Katara had been sleeping for a while now, leaving Toph to try and entertain herself by her own devices.

A small noise came from Katara. Toph listened and Aang looked at her. Again, she made a noise; it sounded like she was in pain. Her face was contorted as though she was losing a dual. Worried about her, Aang gently touched her shoulder and whispered her name. Katara groaned louder, and then woke up. Her moonshine eyes saw the airbender looking down at her. She blushed violently and sat up. She cleared her throat.

"Umm...sorry...I-I guess I fell asleep longer than I...umm..." Katara cleared her throat again. She ran her hand through her long locks. Realizing how messy her hair was, she retrieved her brush from her things and begin undoing the knots her hair had tied themselves into.

"It's okay, Katara. I was just afraid you were having a nightmare." Aang said. Katara cleared her throat again, focusing on the hair brushing and not much else. Aang smiled and leaned in, kissing her flushed cheek. Katara's core froze for a moment. It didn't thaw until Aang took his traditional position at the reigns and Sokka crawled back into the saddle.

"So, what'd you have a nightmare about?" Sokka asked. "Did a bat monkey get caught in your hair or something?" He mocked. Katara stuck her tongue out at her brother and continued to brush her hair.

"Guys! We're here!" Aang shouted. Toph merely waited until they were on sweet, solid ground again. Sokka and Katara, however, leaned over the saddle to see the enormous Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se sprawled out beneath them. Though the sun was nearly set, they could make out scores of earth benders building up and repairing the outer wall. Aang shouted down to them, laughing and waving enthusiastically. He could hear the incoherent greetings of the benders below and saw them wave back.

"Can we just land soon? Please? Not seeing sucks." Toph commented from the back. Everyone smiled, and Momo chirped as they descended into the city. Ba Sing Se had a new vibe since the Dai Li had disintegrated and the Earth King truly ruled the city. The wall, while being rebuilt, had new entrances for visitors; buildings previously reserved for refugees were now housing all people moving into the city; the farm lands were being populated with more greenery, and earthbending schools were popping up like crazy.

Appa gratefully landed in one of the main streets of the city. Children poured from restaurants and homes, cheering the bison. Appa greeted them playfully, gently licking the faces of those who brought him hay to eat. Toph jumped down from the bison, rolling in the dirt and cobblestone street with delight. She filled her nose with dirt and sighed with satisfaction. "Nothing beats earth." She said blissfully.

"It's nice to see you again, Avatar Aang." Aang turned to one of the managers of the stable Appa stayed at. Aang bowed respectfully to the gentleman and allowed him to lead the bison away (with many of the children en route). The four friends then began to walk to their Earth Kingdom sanctuary – the Jasmine Dragon in the Upper Ring of the city.

"Do you think Iroh will be surprised to see us?" Aang asked.

"Probably not...he always seems to know what's going on." Toph mused. Sokka's stomach growled loudly.

"I just hope he has dinner ready..." Sokka said. When the tea shop was in sight, Sokka began to jog with the promise of a hot meal. They could all ready hear the sumki horn playing gently in the evening air. The shop was brightly lit by many paper lanterns, candles, and lamps. It was as though daylight had never left the tea shop. Only a few customers were sitting, sipping on their tea and chatting. When they noticed the Avatar and his companions enter, they all bowed their heads respectfully. Aang did the same before normalcy settled in the shop.

"Iroh!" Sokka called. They couldn't quite tell where the music was coming from. Then, the door to the kitchen slid open revealing the rotund and amiable Iroh.

"Aha! The Avatar and his friends! Please, sit, sit. I had heard you arrived in the city earlier." The four sat down. Shortly, Iroh came out with a tea set and dinner plates. Sokka was nearly salivating from the smell of food coming from the kitchen.

"Thank you, Iroh." Aang said. Iroh gave a wide smile.

"Please, call me Uncle Iroh! It makes me feel more included." He laughed gently before disappearing into the back kitchen again. Katara drank her silver needle tea deeply. The hot liquid fell to her stomach, gently washing away the tension in her muscles. Aang and Toph sipped their tea, enjoying the subtle but distinct flavor of the white tea. Sokka nearly exploded when Iroh finally returned with four heaping bowls of noodles, rice, and steamed vegetables. Sokka ate vigorously, almost spewing edible debris everywhere.

"Does he always eat like that?" Iroh asked.

"Always." Katara, Aang, and Toph replied in unison. Iroh rubbed his full white beard, studying Sokka for a little bit.

"You know, Sokka, if you keep eating like that you'll start looking like me." Iroh put his hands on his girth. Sokka paused, coughing on a noodle that had caught and slipped in his throat. The table laughed heartily before continuing to eat dinner. As all the other customers left, Iroh began to close up shop.

"Uncle Iroh, who is playing the sumki horn?" Toph asked after draining her cup of tea.

"That would be my nephew." Iroh replied. Katara coughed. She choked a bit on the white rice. She gulped down her tea to drown the grains and swallow. Everyone looked at Katara for a moment. She tried to gather herself and think quickly.

"W-what I surprise. We were just in the Fire Nation a week ago." Katara said weakly. The suspicion wore off and everyone began to finish eating in order to go greet their friend. As everyone finished, Toph, Aang, and Sokka began to go upstairs to see Zuko.

"Katara, aren't you coming?" Aang asked. She looked at him briefly before noticing the hoards of dirty plates and tea sets.

"I think I'll help Uncle Iroh clean up first." Katara said. She began to collect the dirty pots and cups, placing them beside the sink in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Iroh subtly kept an eye on the waterbender.

"You know," Iroh began, "there used to be these beautiful birds in the Fire Nation. When they flew, it looked as though a million fireflies were dancing. Unlike many creatures in this world, these birds only had one mate for life. The oddest thing, though – when one of the birds fell in love, it would often lose its beauty. Without its pretty feathers, it wouldn't try to impress its intended mate. It would end up with another bird, unable to ever get its beautiful plumage back. I wonder if the bird had tried to impress its love, if it would have won its mate." Iroh finished and began to hum while hand washing the used plates and cups. Katara simply stood there, dumbfounded and frozen by one of Iroh's philosophical anecdotes. She noticed that the sumki horn had stopped playing upstairs.

Katara took one stair. Then a second step. However, she froze when she heard Zuko laugh softly with the others. A chill ran down her center, and she walked back down the stairs and left the tea shop.

Outside, only the stars and a few lamps lit the way. She could barely see after leaving the brightness of the tea shop. Still, she walked on. She impulsively needed to walk away from where he was.

Katara bit her lip. She felt her emotions flowing to the brim. Soon, she would overflow. She walked towards the sound of rushing water; the sound of her element comforted her. It reminded her that she was not alone, just as the moon did. She stood on a stone bridge that spanned the small river. She sighed. She needed to calm herself. Contain herself. But, when she looked at her reflection in the silver shimmering river, she couldn't stand the site. Katara angrily bent the water where her reflection had been, pulling it up and whipping the tendril of water out like a whip. It cut down a branch of a nearby tree before falling back into the river. Katara felt tears well in her eyes, and this time she wasn't sure if she could stop them.

"Katara?"

Katara inhaled sharply. She turned from the voice and wiped her tears onto her arm. She didn't know if she could do this right now. She could hear him coming closer.

"Uncle said you might be here."

Mentally, Katara cursed the wise old firebender. He was equal parts helpful and meddlesome. She felt a warm hand touch her shoulder. She flinched and whipped around.

"Listen, Zuko, I-" She was cut off by lips. Zuko kissed Katara gently, holding the kiss for a few seconds passed forever. She...she needed to stop it. She couldn't. She was warmed by the kiss, but her spirit froze everytime. She broke the kiss and stared hard into Zuko's amber eyes.

"Zuko – we can't do this...I can't do this." She felt her emotions were going to overflow again. Zuko's face changed from hurt to frustrated. He punched the bridge wall before leaning against it, staring at the river below.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a screw-up." He growled. Katara softened and placed a hand on him.

"Zuko, you're not a screw-up. You're just...complicated." She said. He cracked a smirk at that.

"Complicated, huh?" His smirk faded as he looked longer at his reflection.

"I know it's been hard on you since you broke up with Mai..." Katara trailed off. Was she one to bring personal things up? Did she have a right?

"I guess you're not complicated at all," Zuko mused, "You're just all picture perfect. A waterbending master who gets to travel the world and be adored by the Avatar. Sounds like the life to me." At this, Katara's brows furrowed. She stabbed Zuko with her finger, angrily staring at him.

"Don't you ever – EVER – think that my life is perfect. Cause it's not. It's..." Katara's voice faded and she turned her back on Zuko. "...it's not like I thought it would be..." Zuko ruffled his obsidian hair and sighed. He didn't know what to do.

"Want to pretend nothing happened?" He offered pathetically. Katara just sighed and gave a small nod. The heavens suddenly grew dark, and raindrops began to fall. Zuko squinted up at the sky. A bolt of lightning shot down in the sky, a boom of thunder following after. Soon, though, he didn't have to squint. He turned to Katara, who was bending the rain to hover above their heads like a shield. They gave one another a small smile.

"I guess we better head back." Zuko offered.

"And when we do, I want to see you play the sumki horn." Katara smiled. The Fire Lord groaned in embarassment.

"Oh, c'mon. Do I have to?" He asked. He received the Katara 'I'll-eat-your-soul-face'.

"Okay, okay! One song!" Zuko said. They ran into the Jasmine dragon just as the rain started to pound the earth. It washed away the memories of their footprints. However, the earth did not forget that they had walked upon it.


Author's Note: This is chapter one to set up the story. There will likely be three to five chapters in this story. Lemons to come in the future. Reviews appreciated! ^_^