Winter Solstice

Water lapped around dark ankles. A beautiful full moon hung low in the sky, just passing the horizon. A gentle breeze tugged at the white skirt of the young woman's bathing garments and rippled across her bare stomach. She could feel the energy of the full moon pulsing though her blood, giving her life and strength. The pool was warm where the chestnut haired figure gracefully swirled the water up and around her. Kicking, twisting, dancing under the clear sky.

The spray and mist would follow the arc of her hands, the sway of her hips, or the nod of her head. Sometimes the movements would whip dangerously, spraying shards of razor sharp ice daggers across the pond's surface. A few fish had been impaled on the end of spiked tendrils and brought back to her waiting basket, encased in ice for safe keeping and storage.

The push and pull of the water was mesmerizing. She willed the energy though the waves and drew a great swirling sphere from the surface. She lifted it high above her head, careful not to lose a single drop. She was a vision of youthful grace and beauty, toned arms raised over her head with the perfect twisting globe of crystal fluid high above her. She was outlined against the giant moon, facing out over the waters, her back to the shore.

Suddenly, the woman felt her control over the orb wane. She felt the presence of another, nearly as strong as her, maybe even more, take possession of the ball. Concentrating fiercely to maintain ownership, beads of sweat broke out across her brow. She couldn't hold it any longer. The bubble was ripped from her grasp and shredded in the air above her, bursting into delicate snowflakes fluttering down upon her. Her dark hair now sparkled and glistened with the fragile crystals.

An infectious, playful laughter broke out across the quiet clearing. The perturbed woman turned, shooting a look of feigned anger from piercing sapphire eyes towards the sound of the amusement. A tall, thin young man stood there holding his sides while he giggled. The bright moon illuminated his pale body, making his sky blue tattoos stand out in stark contrast. The ink work trailed from his bare forehead and all the way down his spine, arms, and legs, ending in arrowheads at each extremity. Like the woman, the only thing between him and the warm night air was his own bathing garments, distinctly blood red.

"Aa-aang…" the woman groaned. "Not fair!" She flicked her wrists and swept the snowflakes off her shoulders. With a devious smirk, she lifted and condensed them into a frosty cold sleet, showering them upon the young man's shoulders. The icy water ran down his back and into his sparse clothing.

"Whaaa! Cold!" he howled, arching his back as if trying to get away from the chilly liquid pouring down his spine. It was the woman's turn to laugh. He puffed up his chest and focused. Drawing his energy center he exhaled slowly and pushed his hands down along the front of his chest and abdomen, distributing the power evenly through his body. A small swirl of flame escaped his lips. The water hissed and steamed off his skin as he stepped into the pool towards the smiling woman. The water boiled around his ankles.

He placed one arrow tattooed hand on the woman's hip, and the other against her now rosy cheek. He smiled and lovingly thumbed the carved pink flower in the center of her woven white choker. He had replaced the dry, withered flower a few months previously when he discovered the woman had secretly kept the original he had made for her so many years before. Now she wore it gladly every day, her mother's necklace stowed away for safe keeping. He tilted her head up and brushed his lips across her brow.

"You may be the world's greatest water bender, Katara," he whispered before gently kissing her lips, "but *I'm* still the Avatar."

Three years had passed since The Hundred Year War had ended. The Gaang had gone their separate ways so to speak, but were still closely in contact with one another. Messenger hawks were common sites. Toph Beifong was successfully running her metal bending school after reconciling with her parents. Sokka was currently at the South Pole helping reestablish the communities. The Southern Water Tribe had been scattered during the war; Hakoda and Master Pakku needed all the help they could get. Zuko had a nation to run after the successful completion of The Harmony Restoration Movement and discovery of his mother, half sister, and step father. Through the guidance of Aang, Katara, and Zuko, the groundwork for the creation of a fifth nation was underway. A nation where benders and non-benders of any background could live together peacefully. Azula was in the wind for now.

Avatar Aang was an Air Nomad. He always would be. It was in his blood. He would go wherever the winds would take him. And Katara would forever be by his side. After spending nearly a year traveling and studying and fighting with Aang before the end of the war, there was nowhere else the master waterbender would rather be. She was as free flowing and strong as the ocean currents. She loved her Water Tribe family, but her destiny was tied to the Avatar's. She had seen the world and wouldn't turn back.

"We're your family now!" Katara had cried desperately so many years ago. And she meant it. People of the Water Tribe had such a strong sense of family. They would sacrifice everything for their loved ones. There would be times when the pair would have to part for one reason or another, but never for long. They were an unbreakable team. Aang had lost his entire people and he needed her in his life to be that family, as much as she needed him.

Many people didn't understand the Air Nomad culture, but that was changing with the creation of the Air Acolytes. Most assumed since Air Nomads were all monks, then they must be celibate. But that didn't make sense. How would a culture survive without love and companionship and children? It was a personal choice for an Air Nomad to take a partner, not a requirement as in other cultures. Sure, some took vows of celibacy, but that was actually more rare than most people realized- especially after the genocide.

After completing their training and receiving their tattoos, young Air Masters would set out on their own with nothing but the clothes on their back, their sky bison, a glider, and very minimal provisions to begin their world journeys. The Air Nomads were incredibly spiritually aware. They were peaceful and full of love and joy. Discovering their soul mates if they had one from across the world often took only a few short years of wandering. Children were usually given to the temples by the age three for their own training. The whole of their people was their family, not just those of blood.

Aang sometimes wondered if he had been meant to find a soul mate. It was an idea that chilled his blood, knowing that he had disappeared for a hundred years while someone was doomed to face the wrath of the Fire Nation alone. But that was an old guilt that he had carried and washed away when he had unblocked his chakras.

As Guru Patik had said, the air nomad love had been reborn as new love. In Katara. Even if he had to detach himself from her at times. But now he knew that the detachment was necessary not only for him, but her as well. He couldn't spend his life worrying about her just as she couldn't spend hers wrapped up in concern about him. They were each their own person. They could take care of themselves. But *chose* to care for each other. And that was the key. He didn't posses her and she didn't posses him. They gave themselves to each other freely.

The winds often took Aang and Katara to one of the four Air Temples to oversee their upkeep and training of the new Air Acolytes. Many non-benders from the other three nations had adopted the Air Nomad lifestyle and teachings of peace upon learning of the Avatar's return and the end of the war. Aang knew that any hope for more airbenders was basically extinct. He worried about the Avatar cycle down the road, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was the last airbender. He would NEVER be treated as some horse put out to stud as some people had disrespectfully and crudely suggested. Even if he and Katara had many children, the chance of them being airbenders was not great. Only members of the Air Nomad race were ALL benders. His children would only be half Nomad- it was probable that his children could be completely non-bending. The bloodlines would become even more diluted unless they intermarried- which would also be in poor taste for a multitude of other reasons. But he could try and preserve his people's culture and heritage through those who respected it.

As for now, for all the pair knew, this was just another stop in the night on one of their many travels across the globe.

Aang broke away from the kiss and ran his hand through Katara's hair, lost in her beautiful eyes. He may have been physically only sixteen, but his soul was ancient, with maturity and wisdom far beyond his years. His youthful and playful nature was more due to his personality, than the number of summers he had seen. He and Katara had been best friends for four years. They had been nearly inseparable from the moment they met. It felt like they had been together for ever. When Katara had freed him from his icy prison stasis, she could have sworn she recognized him from somewhere, but couldn't place it. How could she? He had been frozen in ice for a hundred years- and she was only fourteen. She had never even seen an airbender before.

Katara's arms were wrapped around his shoulders and she had to look up to meet his gaze. He had grown so much over the last few years. Meanwhile she hadn't gained an inch! By fourteen, most girls have reached their full height, now at eighteen she knew she wasn't getting any taller. But Aang could have years of growth still. At this rate she would have to stand on her tip toes to reach his lips. A tall, handsome bender- the most powerful one in the world, just like Aunt Wu foretold.

"You know," she said, poking him in the chest with a single finger punctuating each word, "just because you're the 'Avatar' doesn't mean you can just barge in on my full moon bending practice. How long were you there?"

"Long enough to enjoy the show. You were beautiful. It was like your soul itself was bending the water. It was very spiritual." His eyes were warm and proud, but his smile turned to a grimace of concern. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping? It's so late."

"You know me on full moons. I can't ignore it." She summoned a handful of water from the very air and spun it. It danced on her palm in a winding cyclone of liquid. "Plus it's the Winter Solstice- the first night of MY season. It's like every fiber of my being is alive with energy. I couldn't possibly sleep." She sliced the water across the glassy pool, wrinkling icy fractals over the surface wherever the water touched. "It's a good thing we're so far from the South Pole. I'm enjoying the warmth here."

"Yeah…Me too." Aang replied dreamily and slid his hands around the small of her bare back, thumbing the edges of her skirt's waistband. His eyes drank in her exposed flesh; he was still intoxicated by her beauty. Even after all this time, the water master could steal the air master's breath. After four years on their own they had experienced their fair share of intimacy. What had begun as sweet, innocent friendship blossomed over time into a full, mature romance. They were like an old married couple while still being feisty teenagers and playful children all the same. There still was one line they had not crossed… yet. Heat danced across her skin where his fiery fingertips touched, always so careful not to burn.

"If I'm allowed to watch, I'll promise to leave you to you exercises undisturbed." He winked and released her. He stepped back, placed his fist to his palm, and bowed his head, "My solemn promise as the Avatar."

She laughed gaily at him, a sound that filled his heart. He loved laughter. And he loved *her* laughter more than anything else in the world. He stepped back out of the pool and took a wide stance. He punched his fists toward the ground, feeling the energy of the earth beneath his feet. With a quick series of hand motions he pulled the dirt beneath him up and into a small seat.

"Show off." Katara harrumphed at him with her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him like a child. "I'm sooo cool…I'm the Avatar! I'm the master of ALL four elements. Plus I'm the Great Bridge between the physical world and the Spirit World." She punctuated each statement with a waterbending flair of her own, sending splashes at her boyfriend, who parried and launched each blow back to her as tiny snow flurries. He loved the look of the crystals on her hair. It always reminded him of when they met at the frigid South Pole.

"Well, I really can't argue with any of that," he smirked good naturedly. "It is completely accurate."

Katara drew in her breath slowly, feeling the pull of the moon and the flow of the water around her. With a look of confidence and determination, she raised her hands and pulled many arms of water up and around herself.

"Argue this!"

She flung them all towards the surprised Aang. Rock shields, fire blasts, whirlwinds, nor ice walls were enough to protect him. There were just too many tentacles. She was too powerful a water bender. She snaked one of the arms around his torso and clenched her fist when she sensed it make contact. The water tightened like a vice grip and she lifted him from his stone stool and pulled him toward the water again.

The bald monk twisted and turned the attack against her, forcing himself forward faster with a burst of wind at his back. Simultaneously, he pulled a wall of water up behind the woman to break their fall as he flew toward her. With wide eyes Katara realized her mistake too late to recalculate. Aang was flung into her, wrapping his arms around her body and spinning into the cushion of water. Tumbling deeper into the pool, the pair surfaced gasping for air while laughing, a tangle of arms, legs and Katara's thick wavy hair.

"Good snag," Aang grinned at Katara, splashing her some more. "If I was *only* a waterbender you would have me beat, every time, hands down."

"Lucky for you, you're not," Katara chided, easily deflecting his watery assault. "Good counter-attack."

Aang pushed himself back towards the shore again with a small wave, "You started it. But for real this time, I'll just watch."

"Wait."Katara followed him into the knee deep water and reached out tentatively, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to see her thinking hard, biting her lip. "I have an idea for something I want to try, but I'll need your help. And permission"

He arched his brow and smirked impishly. "Not bloodbending, right?"

"Goodness no!" she glared. "Never!"

"Oh...I thought you already had…" He pulled her hips to his and whispered enticingly in her ear, "I seem to have lost control of myself."

Katara could feel him against her and scowled deeper. "Come on," she replied tersely, giving him a little shove. "I'm serious!"

"Okay, okay!" he stepped back, hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry. You're just so… I don't know… special tonight. Something's different about tonight's full moon. You are so full of spiritual energy. As you said, I am the 'great bridge.' I can't help it, I'm drawn to it." He winked, but regained his composure. There was definitely something … almost magical about her aura tonight.

She took his hands gingerly in her own and smiled serenely at him. Closing her eyes and centering her energy, she ran her fingers delicately on the back of his hands and traced the blue lines up his arms, shoulders, and neck. His flesh crackled with static under her touch. Taking his cheeks between her palms, she tilted his face to her.

She kissed him gently on his forehead; right on the point of the arrow. It sent electric pulses throughout his body, running along the chi paths that were road mapped by his sky blue tattoos. That single touch began to awaken something deep inside his soul. Aang bowed his head, nestling against her breasts like he had a thousand times before, even long before it meant anything more than comfort. Katara kissed along the tattoo line on his head, resting her lips against the crown of his shaven head, then back down again. She tilted his chin back to face her with nimble fingertips to lay her lips between his eyebrows and the tip of his nose. When their lips met is was soft and reserved.

Wind whipped around the pair like a small storm, twisting Katara's dark brown hair above her. The water in the pool swirled around them as the waterbender brought tendrils of the liquid to her hands. They glowed as if filled with her healing spirit, but it didn't feel the same as it usually did when healing. The water was simply filled with *her* spirit.

While still joined in the gentle kiss, she drew the shimmering water in her hands along the arrows, starting at Aang's forehead and sliding down to his shoulders. Her touch was like fire and ice and he gripped her hips tightly. The energy flowed down both of his arms under her palms and back up to his terrible scar in the middle of his spine. This time his vision wasn't that of his fall from the lightening strike, but from his return after; when Katara had revived him from death. When the first thing he saw was her loving, hopeful, and terrified face. Now, wherever her fingertips passed, his tattoos remained glowing underneath as well. His vision was clouding with an unearthly blue light. The world was falling away from them.

She was inducing the Avatar State.

Often he had gone into the Avatar State in fits of extreme emotion- whether it was rage or self preservation. Seldom was it calm and reserved. This was a completely different experience. Or maybe it wasn't. Could extreme love induce the Avatar State? But this was gentle, controlled, and full of cosmic energy. Aang couldn't tell if he felt hot or cold at her touch- both at the same time if that was possible.

Her hands followed down his body and lingered at the small of his back, dipping just past his red trunks. He gasped at her touch and she broke their kiss in order to reach farther. Her mouth brushed along his throat and down his sternum. Katara passed her hand along his rear, feeling with her spirit where his tattoo divided to flow down his legs.

Aang's hands sunk deep in to her mane as she continued to kiss down his body, laying her satin lips against his abdomen now and trailing past his navel along the line of hair running to his low waistband. Katara was now kneeling in the shallow water as she finished drawing her energy along his legs and to the tips of the arrows on his feet.

Finally she released the glowing water and energy back to the pool and into the earth, grounding him. The pool's water and clay soil beneath radiated for a moment and went dark as the energy dissipated. He shuddered at her kisses and the feel of the energy flowing so peacefully along his chi paths.

Katara let her own energy flow out into the waters and laid her head against Aang's narrow hip. Her own heart was pounding. She had touched something special between them. She could feel the bony ridge of his iliac crest against her temple and his constrained swell against her neck. He was always so thin and sinewy from his constant training and vegetarian lifestyle.

"Wow, Katara," Aang finally spoke in husky, hushed tones, the glow in his vision fading, "what was that?"

"I'm not sure," she smiled, looking up at him with her deep cerulean eyes. "It just felt right. Like something I had to do. Was it okay?"

He gently bent the water around Katara and lifted her back to standing before him and held her hips gently. "Um, yeah. More than okay. That was amazing. I can feel you pumping through my veins. You tapped into my Avatar Spirit. I could feel your energy inside of mine. Like you were completely a part of me. It was incredible. You were inside of me."

He kissed her forehead and lips like she had, but there was a renewed hunger. His arrowed hands wrapped around her back, crushing her against his body. He cupped her rear in his hand and pulled her hips against his own, lifting her against his firm bulge.

"I want to return the feeling," he whispered into her mouth.