I Know I already made a post EIP fan fiction, but I wasn't particularly happy with it. So I decided to do a completely new one. This won't be a one-shot.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.
The night of the play, Katara noticed that Aang didn't join the rest of Team Avatar for supper "Has anyone seen Aang? I haven't seen him since we got back from the play?" Katara asked.
"Who knows, Aang's probably in his room or feeding Appa." Sokka replied as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Did you see that look on his face? He looked like he was about to cry, it's like someone died or something." Suki pointed out.
"And Mister Jerkbender over here is usually the one brooding!" Sokka said and this made Zuko jerk his head up and breathe fire into the air.
"I said stop calling me that, Sokka! But other than that, I see what you're saying – Aang is usually smiling and laughing." Zuko said, and Katara's face had a depressed look on it as she grabbed her shoulders and had her arms crossed close to her chest.
Katara decides to go check around the house to see if Aang is meditating "I'm going to go check if he's in his room." Katara said, as she went to his room.
"Aang?" Katara said cautiously and she knocked on Aang's bed room door.
"Aang, it's me…" Katara again softly said, as she slowly and cautiously opened Aang's bedroom door, and there was no sign of him – just some lit candles, a round table with a bowl of fruit and Aang's Airbending staff which layed up against the wall near the window. Katara sighed in defeat.
"Perhaps he's outside meditating…" Katara said to herself, and she decided to go search outside for him.
Meanwhile:
Aang is at the beach venting his frustrations of himself from earlier out loud:
"Ugh! How could I be such an idiot! She never liked me that way, but no… I had to go and kiss her! Way to go Aang! Perfect way to ruin a great friendship, and now she'll want nothing to do with me!" Aang said out loud to himself.
"She never had feelings for me other than that of a brother! Great job Aang, now you just lost your best friend!" Aang yelled out as he created a giant tidal wave using waterbending to vent his frustrations with himself.
Katara witnessed the tidal wave at the beach that was headed out into the ocean, and she knew right then and there that it was Aang. As Katara walked towards the location she could briefly hear Aang's screaming as if distressed, and then he fell to his knees and buried his face in them. Katara walked slowly towards where Aang was and was feet away.
Katara was behind Aang "Aang?" she gently said, and no answer came. Aang just turned his head away from her.
Katara sat down beside Aang, and cupped Aang's face gently "Please Aang, talk to me." Katara said and a few seconds went by as Aang decided to break the silence.
"What would you like me to say, Katara?" Aang said rather coldly.
"You weren't around for dinner, and I got kind of worried…" Katara said as she nervously tugged on her hair. Of course Aang turned his head away from her.
"Let me guess, you want to talk about tonight?" Aang said.
Katara shifted her body directly in front of Aang in parallel, "What happened to us, Aang?" Katara asked.
"I think I overestimated what we have, Katara." Aang said, and Katara had a surprised expression on her face.
"Please don't say that." Katara said, trying to deny what Aang was saying.
"Katara its okay, were still friends." Aang said.
"Tonight though, you made me realize something… something important. We can't all have the things we want, and some things aren't meant to be. I'm comfortable with it now, Katara. Really, I am." Aang continued, and Katara looked at him intentively, her eye brows dropped and she had a sad frown on her face.
"Please, Aang… I just…" Katara said with 10 second pauses in the last two words, as she was saying this – she was tugging on her hair and she was trying to find the right words to express herself but Aang cut Katara off.
"I thought what the actress said about me being a brother to you, I'm going to tell you the truth Katara – that really shook me to the core and broke my emotions, I had to get out of that theatre and go outside but then you showed up – I tried to find something to reassure me that I was wrong, but you didn't want to tell me, that really scared me and I really need to know it for myself. But I'm just a sweet little guy just like Momo, right?" Aang said.
"Stop it Aang, just stop it right now! You're being unreasonable!" Katara exclaimed, fighting back tears.
"Hey, maybe I am being unreasonable but I'm just telling you how I feel right now. I'm not good looking like Zuko or that Earthbender Haru, and even Jet! How could I think like that, how could I think I could be with someone as beautiful as you! Heh, what was I thinking?" Aang said laughing at himself, and he didn't care.
"Well, Aang… you did kiss me, remember?" Katara said.
"And? You ran away from me, remember! What else am I supposed to think, you did not like me and it was clear!" Aang said.
"You were forcing me to feel something that I don't!" Katara said, then she immediately shrieked at what she just said, it was just pouring salt on an already painful wound. Katara didn't mean it, Aang had painted her into a corner and it came out wrong of what Katara said.
"Well, you could have told me that at the balcony or better yet you could've told me after the invasion, it would've saved the both of us a lot of trouble and hurt." Aang said, Katara put a hand on his shoulder to try to be a little sensitive to Aang's hurt feelings.
"I also regret kissing you at the invasion; it was a thoughtless decision by me. I don't know what I was thinking or trying to accomplish, I'm sorry for putting so much stress on both of us." Aang said, he knew he didn't mean it but felt like Katara never once cared for his own feelings in the matter and all the romantic tension was all for nothing – the cave of two lovers, Katara's reaction when Aang called her beautiful during the day at the Earth King's pet bear's party, when Aang resisted the temptation to give Katara up to unlock the control of the Avatar State, when Aang woke up and all that Katara did was protect him like a helpless infant, when they danced together at the Cave Party for the Fire Nation school and when they kissed at the invasion, Aang thought about these moments and none of that mattered right now.
"Do you believe what you're saying, Aang?" Katara asked, she didn't really believe Aang that he would regret kissing her, and it hurt her that Aang would think like that.
"I don't know but I've got to try, Katara. I can see I'm just not that special to you, what I'm trying to say… I won't put any more pressure on you, Katara. You have my word." Aang said, and Katara studies his face which was clearly showing a forced smile.
"You are special to me Aang, I've always believed that you are since I first met you. You really are special to me in so many spectacular ways." The beautiful blue eyed woman in red garments said to Aang.
"But I'm not Katara, not in a romantic way – like I said, Zuko would be special like that to you before I was. I'm just sort of special to you because I'm the last hope for peace, and that's it." Aang said, and now it sounded like he doubted everything, even their friendship!
"What? I do not think of Zuko in a romantic way! How could even think that?" Katara said taking her hand off Aang's shoulder and looking away.
"He stole my seat at the play and you never said anything to him. Besides, you were watching Zuko when he was shirtless when we were practicing Firebending today!" Aang said, as he crossed his arms with his eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance.
"Well, you're wrong Aang. Come here, you look like you need a hug." Katara said she put her arms around Aang, but he gently pulled Katara's arms off of him and released her soft hands.
"I think we need to stop doing that, less hugs. I think of the feelings and I can't shake it off, but I think you and I should be like you and Sokka. I think it's better for our friendship, you'll see!" Aang said, Katara was in tears and her face was full of shock. Aang loves hugging Katara!
"No Aang, I don't want that! Please!" Katara exclaimed, tears were falling off her beautiful face in streams. It was torture for Katara to not be able to hug Aang.
"Hey, I'm not doing this to hurt you; I still care about you as my best friend." Aang said as Katara sobbed, she clearly wanted a hug badly but Aang wasn't giving it to her. Instead Aang gently wiped her tears away with his finger.
"Look, you're still my friend, you need to believe that. But with our misunderstandings I think we should start over for our sakes and that is what we both need. You were right; we need to focus on the war." Aang said, and Katara couldn't believe he used her own words against her.
"So, still friends?" Aang said, lifting out his hand, as a peace offering. Katara wiped away her tears with her hand and then the side of her arm.
"Friends…" Katara whispered, as her eyebrows dropped in sadness, and she shook Aang's hand.
"This isn't what I wanted." Katara thought in her head.
"It's getting late; I think we should go to bed. You going?" Aang said with a slight smile, as she gestured towards the house.
"In a little while, but for now I'm going to stay at the beach for a while." Katara said.
"Okay… well, goodnight Katara." Aang said.
"Goodnight Aang." Katara lightly said, and Aang walked away and then eventually out of sight. Katara tightly hugged her chest while she clenched her bottom lip, as she closed her eyes shut tightly with tears pouring out. Eventually Katara cried herself asleep as she sobbed through the night.
While Aang lay resting in his bed, he held his knees close to his chest as tears flowed through his eyes. Katara and Aang were left to anguish through the night of the actions of the play on Ember Island.
To be continued.