A/N: Just another oneshot. Go forth and multiply! I mean... read. Then do the second 'R' to R&R. Because I asked nicely. ;)
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters within it.
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Her Voice
Aang was always so intrigued by her voice. He loved every aspect of it, how it sounded so melodic and bubbly when she was in a good mood and how it was soft and low when she didn't want to talk. How her laughter could send shivers down his spine, and how her sighs made him uncomfortable, but in a good way...
Aang had been awake for a good ten minutes now, just thinking about Katara. He got up to do his meditating, but when he looked around camp, someone was missing. Someone who he couldn't get out of his head.
He saw Sokka in a lump in his sleeping bag and Toph's earth tent a few paces away. Katara's sleeping bag wasn't even out anymore, but was rolled up neatly next to where their campfire was lit the previous night. Aang shrugged it off and figured she was doing chores, albeit Katara wasn't normally awake before Aang. No one was ever awake before Aang.
He scratched his head, feeling the hair that was there, still an unusual sensation to him, and stood up. He looked around for his glider, but grimaced when he recalled what happened to it a few days before.
He sighed silently to himself and made his way to a nearby stream, hoping Katara may be waterbending there. He didn't even mind to put his shirt or headband on, figuring they were in a dense part of the forest, so no one would appear and find them. Precautions should've been taken, but Aang still didn't like the idea of hiding himself. He didn't want everyone to think he was dead; that he had failed them... even if it was the best route to take.
As the airbender reached the water, he followed it down the bank, feet touching the cool water. It felt nice since the sun managed to pierce even through the trees, baking his skin.
He reached an area where the trees broke off, and the river flowed outward, due to a blockage of rocks. They were smooth and round, but created a ledge, and the water spooled out into a waterfall. He climbed over the rocks and spotted what was below; a fairly sized pool of water, and a lemur. But what caught his eye the most was the waterbender sitting at the bottom washing her companions' clothing in her own swimming attire.
He spared her a 'hello', and decided to go to the side instead. He enjoyed watching her in her element very much.
As he got towards the bottom, he began to hear her singing. The lemur flew to her and rocked his head softly side to side as if enjoying the tune.
"What I wouldn't give,
"To speak my mind,
"To take the time to live again.
"What I wouldn't give,
"To commit a crime,
"So sinister it would call to him.
"Why can't he see?
"Why didn't I believe?
"From the start he had my heart.
"What I didn't know,
"What he didn't show,
"Why until the end must we try and pretend?
"I'm not sure I'll ever know."
The waterbender ceased her lyrics and began to hum the melody. Aang watched as she finished folding the clothing. She stood and began twirling a bit of the water from the large oasis.
"What do you think, Momo?" she asked the chipper lemur as it landed on her shoulder. Momo cocked his head to the side and his ears folded downward. Katara rubbed the creature's head and it began to purr contentedly.
She sighed.
"Me'n either."
Aang started to feel strange spectating this. It seemed so personal. He'd never heard her sing that song before, and he'd watched her many times.
As he leaned foward to watch her more intently, he tripped and almost fell into the water.
"Aang?" he heard her call in that beautiful, fluidic tone.
He pushed off the ground and looked up as Katara ran over to him. Her blue eyes studied him, concerned.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Oh, I was... walking, and I heard you, and... tripped."
A blush became very prominent even on her tan skin and she looked at the floor.
"How much did you hear?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"You... you said you 'heard me'. How much did you hear?" she replied, the repeated question barely audible.
"Oh, just you singing. It was pretty, by the way. Where'd you learn it."
The blush became deeper, a bright red on her darkened tone.
"I... uh... made it up," she replied, again in a low voice he could barely catch.
"Oh?" he questioned, "When did you create it?"
She bowed her head.
"Just now."
Aang smiled at her warmly.
"What's it about?"
"You," she replied before he even had the sentence completely out. Her eyes shot open, realizing what she just did, and she clasped her hand over her mouth.
It took Aang only a few moments to catch on. Suddenly, he had a strange rush of courage to do what he'd wanted to do ever since he found out he truly loved her.
He took the remaining two steps it took to be close to her and gazed into her eyes for a split second. Then he put his hands softly on the sides of her cheeks and kissed her.
He didn't even know what possessed him to do it - or what he was doing for that matter, but it took her quite a while to respond. The first thing she managed was to close her eyes. Then, she wrapped her arms around him and increased the pressure on their lips; she wasn't really sure what she was doing either.
In an effort to lick his own lips, Aang pressed his tongue against them and accidentally brushed it against Katara's. Her eyes opened a bit in shock and Aang pulled back. He tried to give her a 'sorry' look with his eyes, but she shook her head and pulled him back again, now knowing what they should've been doing.
She parted his lips with her own and he didn't reject, not quite paying attention to what was happening. After she placed her tongue into his mouth, she opened her eyes again to watch his reaction. He seemed to just be going along with it.
After some non-verbal explaining, they couldn't seem to stop. It was like an epiphany of sorts, and they were enjoying knowing what it felt like.
Katara had ideas this was what kissing someone should be like, but she had no idea what-so-ever it would be so... amazing.
They finally managed to pull apart this time. They were still inches from each other, but were no longer connected by their mouths.
"I love you, Katara."
She smiled feebly, and hugged him tighter.
"I've been waiting for some time now to hear that."