A/N: Here's the first chapter of my new story; it's depressingly short (No worries, I'm still attending to AWOW!). Just tell me if you like, and if I should continue. R&R. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.

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Tension

Why was the water always so beautiful? A distinct color; bluish-green. Pure and free. Never harassed by anyone or anything. Only forces. Only the wind. The wind tortured the water and controlled it. Water didn't have a choice. No direction, no path, no open doors in life. It was all closed off. Free to do as it pleases as long as the wind can tell it what to do and it abides by all the rules.

But were their really rules? Or does the water only listen because it wants to? Does it have a knack for playing teacher's pet? Because it knows the wind can teach it so much. It knows that if it listens to the wind, it can control the wind, too. They could be on even playing grounds. Checks... balances... checks...

The water and the wind didn't matter. They were simply metaphors and I knew it. I was doing it again.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! It was all so irrevelant. Why couldn't I just focus on what really mattered and stick with that? I must be kidding.

Well there was a full moon out tonight... Let's just blame my idiocracies on that and call it a night, huh? Sorry Yue.

No. That wasn't fair. I'd have to deal with this myself, but how?

I walked around the edge of a small pond, glistening in the moonlight. The stars were out, the birds asleep, and me; well... I should've been asleep, too. But the moon made me restless. Yeah. That was it.

I accessed my thoughts through a groggy and cloudy brain, which was probably shut off at the moment and working strictly on emergency power. I didn't realize how wiped out I was. How long had it been since I last slept? Ugh. I shuddered just thinking about it.

"Katara?" I heard a yawning Aang ask from behind me. I jumped slightly.

Oh great. The wind was back to harrass the water.

"Oh. Sorry, Aang, you sorta scared me."

"Sorry... I woke up and noticed you were gone. I was worried something happened to you. I guess I should've figured you needed some alone time. I understand why."

Hah. If that were true, he'd be getting to the point already. The point I had in mind not including a very joyous ending for Sokka on my account.

"Mhmm."

He tilted his head.

"Are you okay?"

He walked towards me, being very careful not to break the 10 foot barrier.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine. I just need to go to bed. Don't know why I haven't already."

My eyes were fighting to stay open. If I pass out... maybe I should pass out. Or at least pretend to. He'd be forced to catch me and then... but if I do, I'd surely fall asleep. Huh. Maybe when I'm more alert. I'll have to remember that.

"Fair enough," he replied.

His face morphed into a weak smile, his features glowing with happiness, but obviously he was just as tired as I. I didn't want to guess what was making him so elated; maybe he could read my thoughts now or something, but if that were the case, I'd be asleep right now. Probably cuddled up in his lap, holding on for dear life and whispering embarrassing things in my sleep... Wow, my dreams were getting too vivid.

But somehow, that didn't matter. Like everything else. Nothing matters. Life doesn't care about the plans we make for ourselves, so why do I?

What if we were all just figments of someones imagination? Then would anyone care? Would life care? Are we just insignificant beings? A scratch on the shackles that life entails?

I sighed, but Aang misjudged it.

"Sorry to take up your alone time."

"No, no!" I tried -a little to quickly- to amend, "I... uh... like spending time with you."

Boy does the truth sound lame sometimes. But, gladly, his face lit up as much as possible for someone as exhausted as me.

"Oh?" he asked smugly.

"Yeah. We should do this again sometime."

He laughed. "What? Stay up really late and try to force our expiring bodies to function in normal conversation?"

I tried to stiffle my giggle, failing miserably.

Wind - 1, Water - 0.

"Sounds like a date."

Okay. What possessed me to say that?

His voice cracked on the first word.

"Date... a, uh... okay. A date," he responded, nodding.

Haha. Works for me. And now we're tied for points.