I claim no ownership of Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters portrayed herein. This is a not-for-profit work of fan fiction.
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So here's an idea that's probably a little overdone. I don't care. The absence of this moment is probably my only complaint about the finale. I just knew this was going to be in the show, animated and lovely, but no. It could have been so epic, too. So here's my version of the most epic moment that never happened. Enjoy.
A Late Summer Night's Breeze
It was late…really late. The Comet had long since disappeared, evening had turned into darkness several hours ago, and soon, darkness was surely going to turn into dawn. Before them, a vast expanse of turquoise water reached beyond sight, joining with the sky at the horizon, which was illuminated by the still-present moon. Katara frowned at the realization that the horizon before her held a beautiful union of the sky and sea, interconnecting them until they were blurred and you couldn't distinguish one from the other. It made her think of him…of them…and her breath caught in her throat.
"You okay?" Zuko asked quietly from beside her.
Katara nodded slowly and looked up at him. His fatigue was showing, just as hers was, she was sure. Her eyes felt heavy as they kept vigil on the coast, but the anxiety occupying her every nerve was too intense to let her nod off.
The past three days were a blur, every event blending into the next, beginning with the night at the theater. Aang had disappeared the next night, leaving their last words to each other before this most life-changing event not at all the way she'd imagined they would be. And worse, she had been horrible to him at the theater, running away when he laid his feelings out before her.
Real courageous.
And he was always so brave and unafraid, solid and true to himself. He deserved better. She denied him the truth she knew he'd never deny her. She wanted to kick herself. No, she was not okay.
"You?" she finally responded.
Zuko nodded in much the same fashion as she had, then leaned his back against the stone wall of a battlement and bent his knees in front of him, resting his elbows there. He and Katara had been here for hours, on the eastern shore nearest the Gates of Azulon, staring at the ocean and into the sky, waiting to see some sign of Aang or Sokka and the girls. At times, he would get up and walk the cliff's edge; at times she would do the same. He noticed she was also spending a lot of time next to Appa, talking softly to him and petting his nose, and the strangest thing was, the bison would seemingly respond. Aang was very close to his animal guide, and Zuko supposed this was the reason she was talking to him the way she was. Perhaps consoling him, or perhaps seeking to be consoled herself.
He was anxious to know the outcome of the battle, though he knew Katara had a lot more to lose. He was amazed at how well she was holding together given the situation. Not only was she concerned with the wellbeing and whereabouts of her brother, but also Suki, Toph and Aang, all who she was very close to. He also noticed that no matter where their conversation had drifted during the night, they always seemed to come back to Aang; something he had done or something he said, someplace they'd been, how worried she was about him.
They never did find out where Aang was, but Uncle had been sure that destiny would lead them all to exactly where they needed to be, and Zuko trusted in that. The first obstacle with Azula had been cleared. Now he awaited news of his father, and whether Aang had been successful in fulfilling his destiny and defeating the Fire Lord. He looked to Katara again; who was sitting with her legs crossed and her hands folded in her lap, resting her head against the wall with her eyes closed. He thought she had finally drifted off to sleep, so he sat watching the sky in silence for several minutes until she spoke, causing him to jump slightly.
"Do you think they did it Zuko?" she asked staring out over the ocean, her expression unreadable. "Do you think they stopped the airships and…do you think that--" she stopped and her eyes misted over, she swallowed. "Do you think Aang made it?"
"I think so," Zuko said honestly. "I have to believe that destiny brought us all together at this point in time for a reason. They'll be okay." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, to which she responded with a nod, still staring at the ocean.
"I wish I knew if they were all together, I mean, we never found Aang, so…" she trailed off and took a breath, "I just hope he didn't have to face it alone."
"He didn't. Aang has the universe on his side," Zuko replied, trying to sound hopeful.
"He can't access the Avatar State," Katara said closing her eyes again.
"That's not what I meant," Zuko corrected, "I mean the natural order of things has been disrupted, and the spirits are seeking to restore balance. We were all part of something bigger than us today. Aang won. I know he did."
It was the first time she had smiled in hours.
Zuko smiled weakly and looked up, catching a glimpse of a small dark spot against a moonlit cloud. The sudden change in his expression caused Katara to snap her attention to where he was looking out, and she saw the same anomaly.
"What is that?" she asked straining her eyes against the darkness. The object was moving quite fast, and her heart leapt. "It's an airship!" she said excitedly. She quickly got to her feet and ran to the edge of the cliff. Zuko ran down to stand next to her.
"Don't get too excited," he cautioned. "There could be more."
"What happened to believing in destiny?" she asked, her eyes shining with a hopeful light as she stared at the approaching object.
"I don't think we should approach them. We don't know if they're some soldiers who escaped with an airship to warn Azula."
Katara nodded, remaining objective. "Okay so what do we do?"
"We wait," Zuko stated patiently.
Katara's brow furrowed as she looked from Zuko back to the airship. They stood on the cliff's edge watching until they had a full view of the vessel, and noted with some alarm that it was turning and heading straight for them. Before Zuko had a chance to react, Katara bolted toward Appa.
"Katara wait!"
Appa stood and Katara took a defensive stance in front of him. Zuko raced to her side and fell in beside her. The airship approached straight on, giving them no view of who was inside. Katara could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Her focus was centered on the windows of the ship until it passed overhead and continued to slowly descend on the area just inside the perimeter of the battlements behind them.
"What do you think?" Katara asked as they turned to watch the ship land. She was on edge, ready to pounce, and knew she had an unending supply of water if whoever it was decided to attack.
"I think they're friendly," Zuko said, not taking his eyes off the airship. "If not, they would have attacked us already." They smiled at each other hopefully. Appa groaned and Katara took off running toward the ship, Zuko close behind. As they drew nearer, the door of the ship's gondola flew open and they stopped, remaining cautious. They were more than a little startled when Toph fell out of the airship and onto the ground.
"Ah, land!" Toph sighed in relief.
"Toph!" Katara called out and ran toward her.
"Katara!" Toph rolled to her feet and met her in a tight hug.
"Is everyone okay?" Katara asked, her eyes immediately going to the door, where she saw Suki supporting an injured Sokka. She rushed over to them. "Oh no! Sokka, what happened?"
"Good to see you too, little sister," he said as he hugged her. "Nothing you can't fix."
Katara smiled sympathetically and helped Sokka away from the ship, turned him over to Zuko and then hugged Suki. "Is it over? Did you guys do it?"
"It's over," Suki smiled, squeezing her shoulders.
"Did you ever find--" Katara stopped short, as she saw the subject in question step through the door of the gondola, smiling brightly as his eyes found hers.
"Aang!" She ran toward him, her heart racing, feeling like her feet weren't in contact with the earth. All of the stress she had been feeling wilted the moment his arms wrapped securely around her.
He had come back, and that was all that mattered.
"You're okay," she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder and breathing him in.
"Yes. Are you?" he asked quietly. She nodded, not letting him go.
He squeezed her tighter. "We did it, Katara," he said, his voice thick with emotion. She leaned back a little to look at him, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"I didn't have to kill him," he said smiling, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.
"I'm so proud of you, Aang," she said, hugging him close again. "I knew you would find a way."
"You should have seen it, Katara!" Sokka said exuberantly from his seat in the grass. Katara released Aang and stood by his side. "It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen! Aang was in the Avatar State, and it was total domination! Then he took Ozai's bending away, and--"
Katara's attention immediately shifted to Aang, a confused expression upon her face, and then back to Sokka, who was waving his arms around and making explosion noises.
"We'll have to talk more about it later," Aang said with a half-smile. "We have to get Ozai and the other soldiers into the capital city."
"You mean, they're here?" Zuko asked. "On the ship?"
"Well, in the cargo bay," Suki clarified as she helped Sokka to get up and begin moving back toward the ship.
Aang looked to Zuko. "Zuko, will you go with Suki to direct the airship to the Palace? I'll follow with Appa."
Zuko nodded and they parted ways. He grabbed Toph's shoulder when she moved to follow Aang and Katara and pushed her toward the airship. She grumbled and reluctantly boarded with the others.
The vessel began to lift off as Aang and Katara reached Appa. Aang smiled and placed a hand on Appa's forehead, leaning against him and hugging him as best he could.
"Hey buddy," he said softly. He remained there for a few moments before jumping onto Appa's head and turning to reach a hand out to Katara to help her up. She glanced up at the airship to see if it was leaving and then slowly turned toward Aang. She didn't take his hand; she stood with her arms folded across her waist, not meeting his eyes. He jumped down and came closer to her.
"Are you alright?" he asked her, concerned.
Katara looked up at him, her eyes alight and her cheeks rosy and warm with anticipation. She stepped closer to him and loosely placed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She hesitated with her lips hovering close to his, trying to read his reaction.
He put his hands on her hips; his heart was pounding; he was sure he'd seen that look in her eyes a few times before. They searched each other momentarily, and before he could say anything her lips were gently on his. He only blinked once in surprise before fully embracing her and holding her close to him.
Their lips moved softly together, wordlessly expressing everything they wanted to say and drinking in their first real taste of each other. She memorized the feel of his lips and the way he held her, the warmth of the summer night and the ocean breeze.
His hands moved slowly up and down her back as he committed to memory the feel of her body against his, how sweetly she tasted, and how the breeze was toying with her hair and making it tickle his cheek. For everything that he'd been through over the past few months, getting to share this moment with her made all of it worthwhile.
They withdrew slightly to catch their breath, and he smiled against her lips. She smiled back and continued to place light, feathery kisses on his mouth, framing his face with her hands. He moved a hand to run his fingers through her hair as she pressed her lips against his in one last kiss.
"I'm sorry, Aang," she said resting her forehead against his, her voice low.
"Don't be," he reassured. He knew why she was apologizing without her having to elaborate. "We'll start over, brand new. No pressure or time limits."
Katara nodded and cupped his cheek with her right hand. They both knew there would be plenty of time for proclamations and promises. He tilted his head and softly kissed her lips before pulling away to climb onto Appa. He helped her up and she sat next to him, taking his hand and leaning into him as Appa lifted to the air and took off after the airship.
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Okay so I know everyone loves the kiss at the end of canon, but I feel like a Kataang reunion scene would be much more meaningful. They had a Maiko reunion. They let Zuko talk to his dad. Why didn't Aang and Katara have some freakin dialogue? Oh well. I made my own ;)