As indicated by the title, which is blatantly stolen from that old Superfriends show, this takes place at the Western Air Temple, while Zuko and Sokka are having their adventure at the Boiling Rock. It always bothered me that the rest of the cast was kind of forgotten about, but that's why there are fan writers to fill in the blanks! I tried to fit this one into the established canon; there was a lot of time between the kiss on the Day of Black Sun and the discussion at the Ember Island Players. I felt it was a bit unrealistic for there to be no conversation about the subject between these two times.
A side note; I know Katara is a bit inconsistent in this one. My best excuse is that I pictured her with a schoolgirl crush, an idealistic infatuation that changes when she's confronted with the fact that Aang's feelings are more than a passing fancy.
All credit to Mike DiMartino and Brian Konietzko, who created these wonderful characters and and graciously allow writers like me to bend them to their will.
"Urgh, is there any place around here that doesn't have badgerfrogs?" Aang groaned as he finished his sixteenth set of fire fists, only to begin his seventeenth set of hot squats thanks to another croak. "When Zuko gets back, I'm going to freeze him to the ceiling!"
Katara quietly watched Aang continue his Firebending drills. It had been a while since she'd had a chance to watch him train; Aang was busy learning Firebending from Zuko in preparation for his battle with the Fire Lord, and she refused to be around Zuko more than she had to be. But since Zuko and Sokka were apparently off bonding over the manly activity of meat-hunting, she could watch Aang without any distractions.
As he stood in his horse stance shooting flames from his punches, sweat dripped down his body, causing him to gleam brightly in the radiant sunlight. She followed his blue arrow tattoo from his head and across his back, pausing when she reached at the scar. It was a reminder of a fatal injury; only Katara and the Spirit Oasis water had saved him. She remembered holding Aang close to her after this. Then she remembered their two secret kisses, one inside a cave and another on a submarine. Both had been in situations where death seemed inescapable. Katara wondered if they would ever share a kiss without being in a life-threatening situation.
Wait a minute! Katara thought to herself, Sokka's not here! Toph is Earthbending somewhere with Haru, and Teo and The Duke are off exploring the temple. And Zuko's not here to steal him from me! It's just us...
Smiling to herself, Katara walked as seductively as she could to Aang. Another badgerfrog croaked, and the Air Nomad growled in frustration before dutifully resuming his homework. Now that she was closer, she paused to look over his muscles, more sharply toned than ever. He was lean and strong; apparently there was something good about Firebending training after all. Katara placed one arm against a rock and waited for Aang to finish his set before making her move. Luckily, no badgerfrog interfered with her plans this time.
"Wow, is it hot in here, or just you?" she teased.
"Ha ha, very funny," Aang mocked. "You give 'jerk-bending' a run for its money."
Katara was now leaning her back against the rock, her arms folded and her eyes shut. "Who says I was talking about your Firebending?"
Aang gazed at her quizzically. "You weren't?"
"Maybe I was, and maybe I wasn't," Katara answered, now twirling her hair around her finger playfully.
"You're a little confusing sometimes, Katara," Aang said, shaking his head.
"So, do you still want to give me a tour of the temple?" Katara asked, hoping Aang could read between the lines.
Another croak. Aang squinted, bared his teeth and started squatting again. "Not now Katara, I'm kind of busy!" he snapped as he performed the drill again.
Annoyed that Aang was putting Zuko's Firebending training ahead of her desire to be alone with him, Katara still wasn't ready to give up. Realizing that she had perfect and easy bait, she started carelessly streaming the water from her pouch before setting her trap. "I bet there aren't any badgerfrogs in the temple!" she sang out.
Aang stopped punching for a second, then finished the fire fists at a breakneck pace, grabbed Katara by the arm, and sped into the temple, dragging Katara and himself far away from the sounds of the badgerfrogs. The water she had been bending splashed on the floor and Katara barely managed to regain stable footing as she was pulled away.
Hook, line and sinker, she thought to herself.
Once Aang was sure they were far enough into the temple to avoid any further interruption, he stopped to catch his breath. The continued high intensity fire fists were wearing him out, and the hot squats were making his thighs and ribs hurt. He leaned against a wall and slowly inhaled and exhaled.
"Getting a bit tired of training, huh?" Katara mused.
Aang laughed. "Well, Firebending isn't as relaxing as Waterbending, that's for sure."
"Your teacher probably isn't as fun either," she added with an expression of satisfaction. Aang took a look at Katara, who was staring at him intently, looking oddly catlike, as if she had plans for him but wasn't going to tell him. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this. On one hand, it made him feel a bit on display, like a meadow vole caught in a cage. On the other hand, he felt as if he wanted her to stare at him like this forever.
"So, uh...you want me to show you around the Temple then?" Aang asked. "There's the giant Pai Sho table, the all-day echo chamber, the Hall of Statues...take your pick!" he offered.
Katara rubbed her chin for a minute, obviously pondering. She then broke out her wonderful smile and answered excitedly, "The Hall of Statues sounds good!"
"Great! Follow me then!" Aang prepared to bolt in the direction of the statues, but before he could move, Katara placed her hand on his shoulder. Aang stopped; Katara's hand was cool against his skin, but strangely sent a warm feeling through his body. Too scared to move, Aang looked at his Waterbending Master, who had a look of pleading in her face.
"Aang, I don't want to follow you," she said. "I want to walk with you."
Not entirely sure what the difference was, Aang shrugged. "Okay, whatever you say." So Aang and Katara walked down the halls of the temple, side by side. Aang tried to catch a few glances at Katara, something he'd been doing for almost a year, literally since he came out of the iceberg. She was so pretty, he couldn't help but look. But now, every time he tried to glance at her, she was staring right back at him, and he quickly averted his eyes. Trying hard to concentrate on where the Hall of Statues was, Aang was barely able to keep his eyes forward as they walked to their destination.
Why does he keep turning away from me? Katara asked herself. You'd think the fact that I was looking at him too would be a big hint. Why are boys so stupid sometimes? With this thought, Katara had to admit something to herself. She really didn't know how to interact with boys; most of the guys who would have been flirting with her left with her father as young warriors fighting against the Fire Nation. The only guys she really knew were her brother and Aang, and she was only now realizing she had feelings for the Avatar that weren't motherly. Well, okay, there was Jet, but that had been a stupid little crush. And she hadn't exactly been a talented flirt with him either. Katara was sure Aang wouldn't be impressed with her hat making skills. Well, he might pretend to be impressed. He seemed to like everything she did.
How can two people who like each other have such a hard time communicating? Katara wondered.
"Katara, are you okay?"
"Huh?" she grunted, snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh, I'm fine, Aang. Why do you ask?"
Aang seemed to hesitate before saying, "Well, you just seem kind of quiet."
"Oh, I'm sorry," she stammered. "I was just thinking."
"What were you thinking about?" he inquired.
Kissing you. Katara had to bite her tongue to keep that thought inside. "Um, I dunno really. Just thinking, I guess." Oh come on, Katara, just tell him, you know he likes you, stop worrying...
"We're here!" Aang exclaimed.
Katara looked around at the giant statues. Each one depicted a female Airbender, magnificently carved out of stone. Their robes were ornate, each slightly different from the next, and each having their own hairstyle. The only common trait was that their foreheads were shaved, and the signature bison arrow was displayed. She was suddenly very conscientious about her own hair, and wondered if Aang liked it. Should she shave her forehead? Should she get an arrow tattoo?
"What do you think?" Aang asked.
"They're beautiful," Katara answered truthfully. "I never really looked at any of the other ones. Where are all the male statues though?"
"In the Southern and Northern Temples," Aang responded casually.
"What?" she exclaimed. "There were only women here?"
"Yeah, Katara. Women lived in the Eastern and Western Temples, and men lived in the Southern and Northern Temples. That way we could focus on our spiritual growth," he explained.
"Wow, that is so...different," Katara mused, a little embarrassed. She had never really bothered to ask much about Aang's culture and customs. How did they live, how did they work, what did they do in their spare time...how did they date...
"The Air Nomads were monks and nuns," Aang said. "Gyatso always said that we needed to be free of distractions."
Katara was now unamused and a little insulted. "Wait, so women are just a distraction now?" she shouted, demanding an explanation.
"Well, you're certainly a distraction," Aang said absentmindedly, and then covered his mouth, blushing.
Katara was now completely flustered. "Oh...well, uh, thanks!" she said.
"Uh...you're welcome?" Aang was clearly thinking out every word he said, trying not to insult her. Oh come on, tell me how pretty you think I am, talk about how much you want to kiss me, please, please, please, she hoped. Aang continued to scratch his head, looking like he was trying to ignore her. Katara was now starting to worry; was Aang too nervous to follow up on that passionate kiss they shared at the invasion? Maybe she needed to make him a little more comfortable.
"So Air Nomads never interacted with members of the opposite sex?" she asked, trying to return to the previous discussion.
"Of course they did! What, did you think I just popped out of thin air?" Aang asked indignantly. "The Air Nomads had seasonal events where we all gathered at one of the temples for get-togethers. The Elders discussed anything of importance, the kids played with each other, most of us had sparring matches, and the married couples spent time with each other."
"So your people did marry?" Katara asked, showing a little more interest than she intended to.
"Yeah, but husbands and wives only saw each other four weeks out of the whole year. And when they had children, they were always taken to a different Air Temple where neither parent lived. The Elders of the Temple named the children and raised them without telling them who their parents were," Aang explained.
"So, you never knew your parents?" she said sadly.
"Well, I know my father was raised in the Northern Air Temple, but other than that I have no idea. It doesn't matter though," Aang said, shrugging his shoulders. "I never knew them, and it didn't bother me. Gyatso was a great guardian; he was kind of like my parent, I guess."
"I'm glad you knew Gyatso," Katara said, "but all of this separation seems a little cruel. I wouldn't want to see my husband four weeks out of the year, and I certainly wouldn't want to never know my kids." Katara was hoping that Aang knew what she was really saying: I wouldn't want to see you four weeks out of the year, or never know our kids.
Aang sighed. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that. I think when I rebuild the Air Nomads I'm going to change some of the customs. Spending time with you and Sokka and Toph makes me think that family is something important we were missing."
Katara resisted the urge to hug him. Yes! He's not going to make me follow all those rules! "Rebuild the Air Nomads, Aang?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, I am the Last Airbender. I'll need to have children at some point if my people are to survive," he stated matter-of-factly. "At the very least, there has to be an Airbender for the Avatar to be reborn into four Avatars from now. Not to mention the next Avatar will need an Airbending teacher."
Well, I always wanted children anyway, Katara thought to herself. "So, who are you planning on rebuilding your people with then?" she asked wryly, hoping to steer the conversation towards "them" again. Aang seemed to be shaking, unable to answer, but she would wait all day if she had to.
I'm losing it, Aang thought. His palms were sweating, his heart was beating faster than an ostrichhorse, and he was actually trembling from his nervousness. He had been trying to ignore Katara's obvious signals, but it was clear she wasn't going to give up. She was cornering him, forcing him to come clean about his feelings.
What is wrong with you? Aang asked himself. You have no problem kissing her full on the mouth without her permission but now that she's trying to talk about stuff you have nothing to say? Come ON, Aang!
"Um...I guess I'll rebuild with whoever the girl I marry is..." Aang finally said, forcing a chuckle after his accurate but vague answer.
Idiot! He was practically screaming at himself. The timing was perfect and you blew it!
Katara seemed to be sad, almost defeated. "So, you don't have any idea who you're going to marry, then?" she asked timidly.
That's it! Just come out and say it, Aang, he said, gathering his courage. Don't mess this up!
"Well, actually, I'm pretty sure I know who I'd like to marry," he said, hoping he was coming across as suave and not nervous, or worse, pompous. Katara didn't really give him a signal either way, which was a bad sign. He had to work quickly to repair the damage.
"Yeah?" she spat. "Who?"
"I think you know her," Aang teased. "She's a powerful Bender, and a great teacher. She's smart, and funny, and she's got a huge independent streak. She certainly doesn't need me to protect her, at least."
"So who, Toph?" she asked.
Aang had a short vision of married life with Toph Bei Fong, his blind Earthbending teacher. They were walking down the beach and she punched him in the arm. He was sleeping in and Toph woke him up by shaking the bed. He was coming back from traveling and she started yelling about him never being home. He violently shook his head from the mere thought of being married to Toph, and then lost his sense of composure.
"No, Katara, of course not Toph!" he shouted. "I'm talking about you!"
Oh no, he thought in horror, I just said I'd like to marry her! What were you thinking? Stupid, stupid, STUPID!
"You want to marry me?" she asked calmly, not angry, but a little nervous.
"Well, not right now of course," he qualified. "I mean, I'm twelve, but..."
"But you do want to marry me, don't you?" she interrupted.
Aang couldn't tell if she was acting positively or negatively to this revelation, and once again tried to find the most diplomatic way of expressing his feelings. "Well, I mean, I haven't given it a whole lot of thought, really, but I can't see myself being with anyone else but you," he explained.
"So, what do you mean then?" she inquired. "Am I just the only girl you really know, so you think we should be married or whatever?"
"No, no! It's not like that at all, Katara," Aang quickly corrected, "What I meant was, um..."
"Spit it out!" she shrieked, making Aang wish he had stayed with the badgerfrogs.
"Hey, Katara, lighten up!" he begged. "You're kind of putting me on the spot here, I don't really know what to say, and I'm a bit nervous, and..."
"A bit nervous?" she mimicked, clearly not impressed.
Aang clawed at his hands, growing more and more frustrated. "Well, okay, REALLY nervous, but I mean..."
"You weren't very nervous when you planted your lips on me on the submarine!" she shouted. With her fists balled up, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed, Katara was now very frightening.
"That's different..." Aang whispered, now a little embarrassed that he had kissed her in the first place.
"How is it different?" she demanded.
"I thought I was never going to see you again, Katara!" Aang finally yelled back, now slightly angry at Katara for being so difficult when he was trying to express his feelings. "I love you, I gave up mastering the Avatar State and all its power because I can't detach myself from you, and I wasn't about to go off and fight the Fire Lord without letting you know how I feel about you!"
Katara's expression softened, and she held her arms close to her chest. Aang took a deep breath, and silently cursed himself for losing his temper. Great Aang, you finally say how much you love her and you are yelling at her like a crazy person. Very smooth.
Katara couldn't look Aang in the eyes. Not now, not after what he said. She was too lost in her own thoughts. Wow, he's serious, she told herself. This isn't some juvenile, innocent little boy crush. He really, really loves me. Katara couldn't decide how to feel about it; part of her felt really warm and happy, and was telling her that she should go for it. Another part said that Aang was just a kid, she was like a mother or a big sister to him, she couldn't fall in love with him! And a really irritating part was scolding her for her own girlish crush; she knew she cared about Aang deeply, but those dreams about kissing him were definitely a childish fantasy, not a longing for a powerful relationship. No different from Jet! she heard the voice say. Gee, thanks, now I feel just great!
But the scariest thought was the incredible sense of responsibility she felt. The Avatar, the most powerful being in the world, Master of All Elements, the one who was supposed to maintain the delicate balance of the world, loved her and wanted to marry her someday. This was a bit more than a royal marriage; marrying him would make her arguably the most important woman in the world. Not to mention the fact that there would always be evil people trying to use her to get to him. Or worse, what if he was killed trying to do his job? Katara could barely stand the thought of Aang dying as it was; how much worse would it be if he was her husband?
"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Katara," Aang sighed. Katara finally snapped out of her world, brought back to the real world by the gentle voice of the boy who had just confessed his deep love for her.
Katara now felt guilty. "Oh, don't be, Aang." Her motherly instincts took over and she hugged Aang. "I was being pushy and mean, and not being very considerate. I'm sorry!" she apologized and then looked at Aang, who was staring at her, perplexed. Katara was now second guessing herself about the hug; what if he took it as something more than just a friendly gesture of comfort? She was feeling quite confused herself, and she didn't need to be confusing Aang.
"So, um, now that I've basically proposed to you, how do you feel about me?" Aang questioned shyly.
Great Katara, now you can't say anything about him putting you on the spot because you did the same thing! She grabbed handfuls of her hair and groaned. "That's kind of complicated, Aang!" she answered.
"I don't understand," he said.
"Neither do I!" she retorted. "There's just...I don't know, Aang! I mean, it's not like I haven't thought about you in a romantic way or anything; I spent most of the morning thinking about you kissing me again."
"You did?" he asked, both shocked and excited.
"Don't get carried away!" she commanded. "And, you're a great guy and everything. You're sweet and brave and smart and funny and cute and..."
"You think I'm cute?" Aang shouted, clearly losing control at this point.
Katara paused. "Yeah, what's wrong with that? You are cute."
The Avatar started casually shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I prefer 'most handsome Air Nomad in the world'..."
"But you're the only Air Nomad in the world!" she reminded him.
"So?" Aang now had a smug grin a mile wide on his face.
Katara simultaneously fought back the urges to slap him and kiss him. She settled for groaning and then continued, "Aang, I'm just saying that the idea of marrying you and spending the rest of my life with you is a lot for me to think about, and its a little more than I bargained for when I tried to get you alone today."
"Oh," Aang whimpered, sounding defeated. "I guess that makes sense..."
"Thanks for understanding, Aang," she said, and she sincerely meant it.
Aang smiled. "Well, you know, you don't have to make a decision to marry me yet. Can't you just be my girlfriend?"
Katara was caught off-guard and her cheeks were bright pink. "Um, well, I, uh," she stuttered, "I guess I didn't think about that. I guess there's no reason I couldn't be..."
"GREAT!" Aang emphatically interrupted her and softly pecked her cheek before running off into the hallway. He formed his air scooter and started to ride it up and down the halls, joyfully laughing the whole time.
Katara pressed her hand where Aang had kissed her. But I didn't answer you, Aang.
The young Waterbender started to slowly walk away from the Hall of Statues; she realized that one way or another, her relationship with the boy she freed from the iceberg was never going to be the same.