"Aang? Katara? What are you two doing?" Sokka's voice split the two of them apart faster than Toph earthbending a boulder.

Aang's eyes started darting all over the place, looking anywhere but at the Water Tribe warrior in front of him. "Well, um, I can't exactly speak for Katara on this Sokka, but I was kissing her." Aang continued looking over his various escape routes. The quickest-and least likely for Sokka to follow him-was to simply jump over the railing next to them, airbend his way to the ground, and run away. He decided on this before he murmured his next response, "And I liked it."

Sokka dove at him, but his Air Nomad reflexes allowed Aang to put his plan into action. "Get back here, you little punk! I'll teach you to kiss my sister and run off like a coward!"

Katara pushed him back from the ledge a little. "He's not being a coward, Sokka. He's afraid that one of his only friends in the entire world is going to hurt him after he risked his life defeating Ozai." Sokka shuffled his feet and looked down guiltily. "OH, forgot about that little fact, didn't you? How convenient. And you have no say in whether or not Aang can kiss me!"

Sokka found his voice after this comment. "I made a promise to Dad; to protect you, even if you don't want me to."

Katara glared at him. "I'm reasonably sure that Dad didn't mean you should make sure I never have a boyfriend!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! He's your boyfriend now?"

"No, he isn't. I'm just saying, if I want him to be, you can't stop me. And besides, Dad would love it if I dated Aang. He's done nothing but help me and protect me since we met him!"

"He burned your hands!"

"He was just learning firebending. You broke my arm when I was six when you were playing with Dad's club!"

"Practicing! I was practicing with Dad's club! And you promised not to bring that up after Mom made me run around the village for two hours as an apology!"

"Well maybe I didn't want you to bring up Aang's first attempt at firebending, did you think of that?"

"Okay, I'm sorry. What about when he kept the map to where Dad was?"

"Sokka, other than Bumi, we were his only friends in the entire world. Think about what you would do if Suki were leaving you!"

"…He, uh, ran away from the invasion force?"

"Because he thought he had to regain his honor by fighting Ozai singlehanded!"

"He yelled at you right before he disappeared with Momo!"

"Everyone was telling him to go against all the things the monks taught him, everything Gyatso taught him! I imagine you would do a lot more than yell if you were being forced to give up Dad's teachings on honor, bravery, courage, and all that stuff."

Sokka sighed in defeat and rubbed his forehead. "I can see you aren't going to give up on this. I'll let the issue go, but don't think I won't send a message to Dad about this."

Katara pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Sokka."

Sokka briefly returned the hug then put his hands on her shoulders and looked sternly in her eyes. "I still better not see you two kissing again."

She grinned mischievously. "The same goes for you and Suki." Sokka started walking back into the tea shop. "Oh, and Sokka?"

"Yes, Katara?"

"I'll be extra careful to make sure you don't see us." Katara smirked.

Sokka covered his ears and started humming, "I didn't just hear that. I'm not listening. I did not just hear that…"

"Psst. Katara? Is he gone?" Aang had snuck back while Sokka was talking to his sister and ignoring the rest of the world.

"Yes, Aang, he is gone. You can come back up here now."

Aang lept to the ledge and sat on it facing her. He started blushing. "Thanks for defending me, Katara."

"Ho-how much of that did you hear?" Katara was blushing too, now.

"I don't know how much, exactly, but I did hear Sokka ask you if I was your boyfriend… And I understand your answer. I mean, I never asked if you wanted to be my girlfriend… And you never asked me… So it wasn't a lie…"

"Aang," Katara said softly, "do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Aang blushed furiously. "Of course. Do you want me to be your boyfriend?"

Katara looked around and saw Sokka was nowhere in sight. "Yes." After her declaration she pulled Aang close to her and gave him another kiss on the lips.

Aang broke the kiss a moment or two later. "So…you're my girlfriend now?"

"Yes."

He grinned sneakily. "Then can you tell my waterbending teacher to be nicer to me during our sparring sessions?"

Katara pouted. "Unfortunately, I think your waterbending master will tell you to keep dreaming."

"Oh, monkey feathers… I mean, yes, Sifu Katara." Aang held Katara close to him. "Although, I will say this is still my best birthday ever."

She gasped. "It's your birthday! Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Air Nomads never paid much attention to birthdays. We might play a celebratory game of airball, eat some fruit pies, and see who could tag the most lemurs, but there were no parties or anything like that." He finished his explanation with a casual shrug.

"Well that is going to change, starting now." Katara pulled him inside the Jasmine Dragon. "Everyone, guess what today is?"

Momo hopped onto Aang's head and chattered.

"Hush, Momo, don't tell them," Aang said.

Toph chuckled from her corner. "Twinkletoes is finally going to stop showing off his airbending with marbles?"

Her comment was met with a chorus of, "Yeah, right," and, "Keep dreaming."

"My nephew will finally let me teach him how to make a good cup of tea?" Iroh weighed in.

"Zuko chuckled. "My uncle will stop trying to show me how to make tea?"

"Aang will no longer be portrayed by a woman in that lame play?"

Katara held up her hands to stop the ideas. "None of that, although Suki and Toph were right that it has something to do with Aang." She glanced around quickly and then added, "It's his birthday today!"

The birthday boy soon found himself in a crush of people congratulating him upon turning thirteen, patting his back, and-in Toph's case-punching his arm.

"Thank you, all of you, but I really don't want any sort of celebration or anything. Otherwise, before you know it, I'll wind up with birthday presents and well-wishing from all over the world."

"Yeah, and the number of thank-you notes you would need to write would keep you busy until your nest birthday!" Sokka joked.

"So, no presents, no parties… What about a cake? You can't argue that would lead to 'burial by gift,'" said Katara.

Aang pondered this. "I do like cake…"

"Excellent. I know a lovely bakery just around the corner, run by a very nice family. They will have no problem making it," Iroh contributed while walking to the door.

"There has to be enough for everyone to have some, even Appa and Momo!" Aang was always looking out for his bison and lemur, even in regards to treats.

"Aang, can we talk while we wait for that cake?"

"Sure, Katara. How about this room back here?"

"It looks fine." Katara fidgeted nervously. "You never really told me about that Guru Pathik… How did you learn to control the Avatar state? What did he teach you?"

"He started by asking me to tell him everything I knew about chakras."

"What are chakras?"

Aang smiled upon remembering asking the very same question himself. "Think of a creek, with flowing through it, and collecting in several pools. Like the water in the creek, energy flows through our bodies."

"Our chi. And the places where the chi pools are the chakras?"

"Exactly. Now, as long as there are no obstacles in the creek the flow is smooth, but if things fall into it, it can't flow as well. Each of the chakras in the body has a purpose and can be blocked by a specific type of emotional 'muck.' Are you with me so far?"

"Sure."

"The first chakra I opened was the earth chakra, located at the base of the spine. It deals with survival, and is blocked by fear. I saw things I was afraid of, like Ozai, and had to forget about them.

"Next was the water chakra. This chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt."

Katara thought a moment about what Aang would feel guilty for. "You thought of when you ran away from the Southern Air Temple and the times you were in the Avatar state, didn't you?"

"Yes." Aang looked at his hands. "I've forgiven myself for what happened, but it still saddens me at times."

Katara sensed he was becoming lost in his thoughts. "So, what was the third chakra?"

"The fire chakra, which is located in the stomach. It deals with willpower and can be blocked by shame. I still remember the words I told Guru Pathik when I thought on what made me ashamed. 'I'm never going to firebend again. I can't.' He made me realize I could never find balance if I denied that part of my life. His exact words were, "You are the Avatar and therefore you are a firebender.'"

Katara let out a fake gasp. "Really? You? A firebender? I guess I can't date you any more, then. I can just see Gran-Gran's face now." She put on a very dramatic expression and began talking like her grandmother. "'Katara, I'm so disappointed in you. After you knew that lovely Air Nomad boy, you take up with this firebending polar leopard?'"

Aang let out a loud laugh. "And people say Sokka is the funny one! If you went out with a firebender, I'm pretty sure your grandmother would do a lot worse than scold you."

The Avatar's girlfriend giggled. "Shh! Don't be so loud, Aang!"

"Sorry. Anyway, where was I?" He tapped his forehead a few times. "Oh, right, the heart chakra. It is blocked by grief and deals with love. The meditation for this chakra showed all the Airbenders, fading away, but their love for me hasn't left this world. It is still inside my heart and is reborn in the form of new love."

Katara batted her eyelashes in a very playful manner. "And where would this love happen to exist? Did you see?"

Aang blushed again. "Promise you won't tease me about it or anything."

"I reserve the right to tease you. Girlfriend privileges."

"I saw…you."

A hint of red found its way onto the Waterbender's face. "Me?"

"Are you really so surprised? You've been with me through everything, from the very beginning. In all my darkest moments, you were there, letting me know things would get better."

Katara felt an urge to keep the information flowing. "So, earth, water, fire, heart… Where's the next chakra?"

"The sound chakra is located in the throat."

"What does it deal with? Truth and lies?"

Aang nodded. "But not just any lies. The ones we tell ourselves."

"Like how you never wanted to be the Avatar."

"Well, when you're twelve years old and called before the spiritual and political leaders of your society to find out you are the physical incarnation of the planet… Anyone could cave under the pressure. I lost all of my friends and classmates, they were planning on separating me from Gyatso, and then I found people who didn't know my identity and were comfortable with having me just be an airbender…"

She put a hand on his arm. "Keep going, Aang."

He took his other arm and briefly touched his forehead. "The light chakra."

"Dealing with? Blocked by?"

"Insight and illusion. 'The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation.' What we expect to be distinct and unique is actually part of one whole."

"Like Huu taught us in the swamp. All of us, every living person, everything, we are all connected."

"Not just that. Even the elements are one, for they all revolve around an energy from within is, just like the lion-turtle taught me."

"What? When did you ever meet a lion-turtle?"

"That's a story for another day." Katara tried to give him a bunny-puppy dog pout. "Sorry, but I'm standing my ground on that, like an earthbender. And don't worry, it's not just my airbender tendency to be evasive."

"Fine… Is that all of the chakras?"

"No…There is one more. The thought chakra at the crown of the head…"

"After the Guru helped you open that you had complete control of the Avatar state?"

"I would have…"

"What do you mean, 'would have?' You entered it in the catacombs, after you emerged from that crystal tent."

"I didn't open the seventh chakra with the Guru, because of what the 'pure cosmic energy' it deals with gets blocked by…"

"Which is?"

"Earthly attachments." A small gasp was heard. "He was telling me to let go of what attaches me to this world, you, when three chakras before he had said it was good that I loved you. Why would I choose cosmic energy over you?" Katara puller him into a light, gentle kiss. "What was that for?"

"For being the best boyfriend in the world, ever."

"Well, the best girlfriend in the world, from before bending until the end of time, deserves nothing less."

"I don't understand, though. How have you gotten into the Avatar state if that chakra is blocked?"

"I realized in the catacombs that I was using losing you as an excuse not to master the Avatar state. I was letting the attachment come before my duty, when I needed to do the opposite. At that time, I needed to learn what the Guru was teaching, not act like a moon-struck prairie dog."

"So, what, you'll lose the Avatar state if you go on a date with me instead of brushing up your bending?"

"No, because part of the Avatar's duty as the manifestation of the spirit of the world is to learn about and experience being human."

"Oh."

"Also," Aang flashed her a roguish grin, "there's no rules saying I can't combine the two."

"You are incorrigible."

"Only when I know my Sifu would enjoy it just as much as I would."

Katara wasn't able to reply because at that moment Sokka shouted, "CAKE! Look at it! It has scenes of Aang doing Avatar stuff, and over here is me with my boomerang… There's even an Appa and Momo moment."

"I guess we should go get some before my brother eats all of it."

"Wouldn't want that to happen."

After everyone (even Momo) had eaten at least two pieces of cake, Suki asked, "So, Aang, could you tell us more about the Air Nomads?"

"Umm… I guess. What do you guys want to know?"

"How did you determine if a child was a bender or not?"

"I don't understand the question."

Zuko piped up, "Well, in the Fire Nation, we knew the firebenders at a year old or so, because they would cough and have little bursts of fire."

"On Kyoshi Island-and I'm assuming it's similar in the rest of the Earth Kingdom-the child would move sand or dirt while clapping, stomping, etc."

"When I studied with the healers at the North Pole, Yugoda told me that babies would reveal waterbending at a few months old by making tiny waves."

"Oh." Aang looked around. "The Air Nomads didn't bother with anything like that."

"Why not?" said Sokka.

"Because all Air Nomads were airbenders."

"You're kidding! Is this like that time you told me I had a prickle snake in my sleeping bag?"

"No. Every Air Nomad could airbend. It was kind of fun waiting to see when it would happen to the younger kids, though."

"'It?' What 'it,' Aang?" asked Katara.

"We sometimes called it, 'the Sneeze.'"

"Oh, like when Sokka and I first found you. You sneezed and flew ten feet in the air."

"It was more than ten feet!"

"And how would you know?" questioned Sokka.

"I was, uh, kind of, sort of, trying to impress Katara." Aang's cheeks turned crimson while he said this.

"That is lame, Twinkletoes, even for you."

"It's better than Sokka! He tried to impress Suki when they first met by telling her he was the best warrior in his village." The older couple grinned to each other nervously, remembering their first encounter.

"More like only warrior in the village," Katara murmured.

"I heard that!"

"It would have been wasted if you hadn't. Aang, why don't you tell us more about growing up in the Air Temples?"

"Okay, Katara. First off, the Air Temples were completely segregated by gender. Males lived at the Northern and Southern temples, while the Eastern and Western temples housed females."

"Wait a minute. If you were separated like that, how did you ever…you know…get more Air Nomads?" Suki asked while blushing profusely.

"After an Air Nomad turned sixteen, he or she would receive tattoos. The tattoos signified that the individual was both an airbending master and an adult in our society."

"But you're only thirteen now, Aang. Why do you have your tattoos?"

"To be an airbending master you typically had to pass thirty-six levels of training, and then create a new airbending move or technique. I invented the air scooter after I was tested on the thirty-fifth level, but the monks decided I could get my tattoos early. I ran away before I learned the final level… Which reminds me, we need to go to the Southern Air Temple so I can research that in the library."

"What library? You never showed Katara or me any library when we were there."

"With everything that went on, there wasn't time."

"You still haven't answered my question."

Aang shook his head. "Right. Anyway, as I was saying before Sokka sidetracked me, the sixteen year-olds left on their sky bison. They would pretty much just fly wherever they wanted. If they met an Air Nomad on their travels… Well, I don't think I need to tell you guys about falling in love or any of that stuff. Usually they stayed together for several years then went back to their homes. Festivals or such might bring them back together, but most people by the time they were thirty had dedicated themselves to meditating and reaching enlightenment."

"What did the Avatars do?" asked Zuko.

"I'm not really sure. The monks never told us. I suppose it's another thind to look for in the library."

Iroh poured everyone some tea and sat down at one of the tables. "You have told us much about your people's coming-of-age traditions, young Avatar, bt you have said very little about your childhood."

"Well, if at all possible, children were born at the Temples. They were given to a caretaker or guardian who would raise and mentor them. Mine was a monk named Gyatso. He was a member of the Council of Elders, the spiritual and political authority in our Temple."

"Did every Temple have one?" questioned Katara.

"Yes. They all worked together to govern our people." Aang fingered the wooden penant he was wearing, which looked just like the one Gyatso used to wear. "This actually symbolizes I'm a member. Seeing as I'm the only Air Nomad, it's kind of by default…" He shook his head and continued," Anyway, at the age of three we began our training. Not really doing any bending, just becoming aware of how the air moves, feeling the current from the wind and how it changes. There was also meditation. Meditating was an important part of our day, one of the first things we did when we woke up."

Appa put his eye in front of a window and gave a deep groan.

"I think someone feels left out of your story, Aang," teased Suki.

Aang walked over to a chair by the window and stuck his hand outside. Appa started rubbing it with his nose. "Sky Bison were exclusively raised at the Eastern Air Temple. Their connection to the air was revered by my people. As I've told some of you, we patterned our arrows after theirs. Because they are so highly regarded, the pairing of an Air Nomad and a Sky Bison was held on the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's the day most in tune with the Spirit of the Air. We always waited until the Festival after the child turns five." Aang's face turned wistful for a moment. "I still remember when Appa and I met. Sister Iio said, 'A Sky Bison is a companion for life." I took an apple and offered it to him, and he proceeded to tackle me and lick my face."

"He did that to me a week ago, and I didn't even give him anything!"

Katara laughed. "What can we say, Sokka? You must just have a 'way' with animals."

"AIrbending training became more serious after an Air Nomad and Bison were bonded. We started actually moving the air around ourselves, enhancing our speed, you know, that kind of stuff. Glider training normally started at the age of eight, but I impressed my teachers so much they let me start when I was six and a half. It was around that time that Gyatso started teaching me to play Pai Sho."

"You play Pai Sho? And refrained from telling me this?" Iroh seemed put out.

"Umm, well, I'm not, uhh, actually all that good, Iroh. Gyatso almost always beat me. He was a master of the White Lotus Gambit. I seemed no matter what I playted in response to him, he had a strategy to win."

"The White Lotus Gambit you say… As it just so happens, I favor that opening as well. Perhaps you can show me some pointers to refine my mid-game technique."

"I don't see any probems with that."

Momo climbed onto Aang's head and curled his tail around the young Avatar's neck. He then waved his paws up and down while chittering excitedly.

Sokka started laughing. "You might not, but apparently Momo does." He let out a contented sigh only to sit bolt upright as if remembering something. "Aang, you mentioned a 'Mid-Autumn Festival.' What other festivals did you celebrate?"

"Well, my people celebrated the festivals for all the spirits, not just the Spirit of the Air. Its thought that our spirituality is what made all Air Nomads benders. There were festivals on the solstices and equinoxes, marking the shift of seasons and the 'element of power,' as well as on the other midseason days. Except because of the hemispheres, the temples would be celebrating the same festival six months apart."

Sokka stroked his chin as if he had spotted a problem. "If the temples were on different 'calendars,' how could you get a bison on the right day?"

"The Mid-Autumn Festival used for reckoning that was the Eastern Air Temple's."

"Were there any other activities that the Air Nomads had every year?" Suki asked.

"Uhh… Oh, I know! There were the different harvests, you know, grain, fruit, etc. We also had the 'Brushing' and 'Weaving' days."

Zuko looked confused. "What did those have to do with?"

"Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Mai can give you plenty more detail on what happens to a Sky Bison's fur in spring, but basically we would brush out all their loose hair and turn it into cloth. Remember, we didn't kill anything, so our clothing came from sources like Appa."

"Why only take the loose fur? Why not cut it all off?"

Appa bellowed angrily at this suggestion, so loud it shook the entire shop.

"Sokka, run around the South Pole for a day in your underclothes, and you'll get some idea of how a Sky Bison would feel if you did that. Of course, you can always try to shave some of Appa's hair…"

"No! No, that's quite alright. I would never do that to my giant, fluffy friend!" Sokka said in as apologetic a manner as he could.

"So… What happens now?" asked Toph in her usual blunt and straightforward way. "I mean, in one way or another, we're all together because of Twinkle-Toes and his mission to defeat Ozai."

"Well, seeing as I am the current Fire Lord, I'm obligated to go back to the Fire Nation."

Mai spoke while examining her fingernails. "I'll probably head there too. Need to keep an eye on my boyfriend." "I will stay here. This tea shop is my calling."

"If it's okay, I would like to stay here in Ba Sing Se and finish my firebending training with you, General Iroh. Zuko will be too busy to teach me, but I hope you won't."

Iroh bowed. "It would be an honor to teach the Avatar."

"My parents deserve some attempt to understand me. I'll go to my estate in Gaoling. Don't know how long I'll be staying there, though."

"You said before the comet that my earthbending still needed work. Maybe a few months from now I'll be done here. You should go to the city of Omashu if you decide to leave. I'm sure you'll like it a lot more than this place. And then you and Bumi can train me together."

"Sounds like a plan, Twinkle-Toes."

"The Kyoshi Warriors don't really need me anymore. I think I'll just stick with Sokka. Katara, what are your plans?"

"Oh, I'm staying with Aang. Knowing his luck, he'll get injured if I leave him alone." She then looked over at him and added, "Also, I don't trust my new boyfriend to be in this city without me just yet."

Sokka nodded sagely. "Well, there you hae it. Zuko and Mai will go to the Fire Nation, Toph will go home. Iroh's staying here. Suki's with me. I'm with Katara. She's with Aang, and Aang's with Iroh." Upon seeing everyone chuckling at him, he thought for a moment, only to exclaim, "Wait a minute! BOYFRIEND?"