Zuko and Sokka stared dumbly at him until it soaked in.

"If you knew that you'd have to marry by next week last summer why did you wait so long?" Sokka asked.

"I tried looking at girls and liking them but I can't," Aang blanched.

"Monkhood thing getting in the way?" Zuko snickered.

"No, it's just none of them are…" He let the sentence hang there.

"Who? Toph?" Zuko asked.

"No, Katara." Sokka said evenly.

"Wait, you have a thing for Katara?" Zuko asked.

Aang wanted nothing more then to bury himself ten feet below the ground and never come out. Instead he groaned and nodded.

"Ha! Good luck, I mean I know you're the Avatar and all, but Katara is…"

"Beautiful, kind, smart, funny, caring – "

"But I wouldn't have any other guy marrying her Aang," Sokka deadpanned.

"Huh?" Zuko and Aang chorused.

"I know you'll appreciate and take care of her. You'd give your life for her without a second thought and that's what matters the most."

Aang looked at Sokka with appreciation and wanted nothing more than to hug him but he held back. Instead he bowed slightly, "thank you Sokka."

Sokka pulled Aang into a brotherly hug.

"She would be crazy not to say yes if you asked." Sokka commented.

Aang laughed wryly. "We'll see. I don't deserve her at all and if she knows that she'll say no."

The men finished with the dishes and retired to their shared bedroom for the night.

When Toph and Katara finally came back in they were giggling quietly and attempting to tip toe across to their room with out waking the men. When Katara was satisfied that they were indeed asleep she stripped off the towel and began pawing through her bag for some night clothes.

Aang heard the giggling approach and knew what that would mean. He tried his best to stay still and not peak over but it couldn't be helped. His eyes caught the shadow of Katara immediately and his eyes roamed over every dip and mound the shadow offered. She tossed her waste length wavy hair behind her shoulders and with her chest high in the air began to comb through the tangled strands with her fingers. His eyes stayed at her slender neckline that the side profile offered him as her damp hair was repeatedly lifted from it to remove the knots but then he glimpsed down and caught site of the peaks that were her chest. An unfamiliar heat rushed through his body at that particular sight. He had never seen those on any woman with out something covering them, but he only wanted to see hers.

His gaze wondered to her slim waistline and to her curved hips and then shapely legs. One thing was for sure, if she didn't agree to marry him, then he was doomed. How was he supposed to be with anyone else after glimpsing her beauty?

Aang squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force the images of Katara out of his mind so he could get some sleep. After ten minutes his mind finally gave up and he fell into a fitful sleep.

When Katara finished dressing she whispered to Toph that she wasn't tired so she was going to go down to the beach to do some bending. So slipping out in only her deep blue longevity jacket that hugged her upper body and had plain gray long buttons with her skin tight knee high matching blue pants with inch slits on the outside at the knee for mobility, she slipped out of the hut. Her hair was left down in soft waves to dry in the breeze and her feet were bare so she could feel the sand.

When she finally made it to her destination she stood still and breathed in the salty air. At first she just gracefully danced around with a stream of water, which put her mind at ease and filled her body with excitement, but she quickly moved to more advanced moves and lost herself in her art.

Aang woke with a start after a particularly steamy dream of his waterbending teacher and decided that a walk was needed to clear his mind. When he neared the beach he began to hear a whisper of streaming water over the ocean waves and knew what that meant. Exasperated he turned to go but caught sight of her lithe body moving with the water and instead was entranced to continue watching her.

He must have sat there for an hour watching before his body's protesting became too much and he stood to stretch out his cramped limbs. Her head whipped around to stare in his direction and when their gazes met it was like they were the only people on the earth. Aang tried to look away, he really did, but her deep blue eyes had frozen him in place. Unwillingly he found his feet moving towards her and his stare unwavering.

Katara's hips shifted and the water she was bending fell to the sandy earth, but her eyes never left his. She wanted to look anywhere but at him. But her body had a mind of its own and it reacted strongly to his. His steely gray eyes were drawing her into a pool of warmth. She forced herself to at least say something and what came out was surprisingly insightful despite the cartwheels her stomach was doing.

"You couldn't sleep either huh?" It came out weak whispery but it made it past her lips.

A few seconds past and he nodded, still not breaking eye contact.

Katara's body was on fire and she couldn't explain it. Her legs were beginning to weaken beneath her and she could feel her face flush with red.

Aang was having a similar problem. His body was hot and tingling, and between flashes of her eyes he saw her hips swaying and a thin sheen of sweat glistening on her bare stomach. These of course were images his mind was creating except her eyes.

When he was only a few feet away from her his hand reached out before he could stop it and brushed a stray strand of hair off her face.

"I missed you, Katara." He whispered softly.

Her eyes unbiddingly welled up with tears and she finally broke the stare to fall into his arms and really hug him this time.

"I've missed you too Aang," she half sobbed.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her tightly for a few minutes, until she shyly pulled away. There were a few stray tears weaving paths down her tan cheeks and she swiped her fist across her cheeks to hide them.

Aang smiled weakly and moved the pad of his thumb over her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" Aang asked gently.

She laughed at his sincerity and at herself for being so silly.

"I'm happy to see you is all. It was hard leaving the family I had grown used to for five years."

"I agree." Smiling, Aang pulled her cheek into his chest and allowed his fingers to comb through her long hair and the other to create small circular motions on her back. Katara instantly sank into his arms and allowed her body to submit to the thrumming that filled her being. She pulled her head away slightly to look up at his face and was caught by how much love was radiated in his eyes. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched. Their lips were only a finger's width apart.

Aang's eyes drifted from her eyes to her lips and returned. She knew what he wanted and he was silently asking for permission. But did she want to give it? Yes, she wanted this more than anything. Katara closed her eyes and shifted her weight up onto her toes and completed the distance between their lips only to find that his were no longer there. She opened her eyes just in time to see him stumble back pulling her with him. They knocked heads and in an attempt to catch themselves got their legs and arms tangled and still they fell.

Groaning, Aang gingerly rubbed his forehead where hers had hit.

"I'm so sorry, Katara." He lifted a hand to rub her forehead where a hint of blue was beginning to form. Instead of getting angry with him like he had predicted she tossed her head back and laughed heartily at the situation. It was rather funny after all.

"I guess that's a pretty good sign that I'm not supposed to make out with the Avatar tonight," she snickered.

"Tomorrow night then?" Aang said hopefully.

Katara giggled at him and slowly got to her feet and then offered her hand to him as a silent peace offering.

"You have your choice of every girl in the world, Aang." She paused to help him to his feet. "Why would you choose a hot tempered water tribe peasant?" She half-heartidly grinned and began the walk back to the hut they all shared.

Aang wanted to object but he was too stunned at her words. He had never thought those words in relation to her, or anyone really. But especially with her.

"Katara…" His voice grumbled. But she was already out of sight and ear shot.

Frustrated out of his wits he slowly made his way back to the hut after Katara but far enough behind to give her space. When he slid open the front door he couldn't help but glance over to her area, but it appeared that both girls were fast asleep. Grudgingly, Aang made his way over to his room and onto his bamboo mat and attempted to sleep yet again.

Morning came and Toph awoke to Aang deep in meditation, Zuko gone, and both Sokka and Katara fast asleep. Stretching her limbs Toph greeted Aang in her pajamas and wildly disheveled hair.

"Good morning Toph," Aang said in a sing song voice with out opening his eyes.

Toph grinned at him and a small burst of pride sprung up on her at how much he had learned from her.

"Good morning Aang."

"Breakfast is on the table. It's small but we'll eating plenty tonight at the festival."

"Thanks," Toph said, taking a cushion in front of the table and began filling a plate with fruit and a roll.

"Suki was asking for you and Katara this morning. I think it had something to do with something the unmarried women did as a tradition on the island and she wanted you two to participate." Aang maintained his eyes shut and meditation pose through out.

Toph grimaced, "But we don't even live here full time."

"I think you two should try it. Suki made it sound like an honor and a lot of fun."

"Alright, if it gets us out of the setup I'm in."

Aang smiled and still maintained the front that he was meditating.

"Good. You're supposed to meet her at the fighting arena when the sun reaches the palm trees on the east."

Toph scowled at him and it was as if Aang could see through his eye lids or he just realized what he told the blind girl to do.

"Oh, right." Aang opened his eyes and went to peak out the east window. "You might want to hurry with your breakfast and get Katara up so she can get ready too."

"I'm eating, you wake her." Toph argued with a mouthful of mango.

"But – " Aang argued, but Toph had held up her fork in a silent threat. Grumbling, Aang poked his head around the girl's room door. "Katara, its time to wake up."

Katara's only response was to roll away from his voice and grunt.

"Katara," Aang whined. "Please get up."

She moaned in her sleep and kicked her foot out from underneath her large blue covers as if to show some attempt but then she lay motionless again.

"I guess I'll just have to go ride the Unagi."

Katara shot up off her bamboo mat and glared tiredly at him.

"Not… funny…" She said coldly.

"Are you up?" Aang asked cheerily.

Her response was a freezing glare directed at him, forcing him to quickly back paddle out of her room before a water whip found its way across his back end.

"I'm going to go help prepare for the feast tonight. Toph will catch you up on your plans for the day," Aang said loudly as he exited the hut.

When Toph and Katara had eaten and dressed for the day they made their way to the practice arena where several girls around their age were already hanging around talking animatedy to one another. Suki approached them smiling and tugged on each girl's arm until they were emerged in the group of young women.

Suki moved to the head of the group by herself and cleared her throat loudly to get everyone's attention.

"In the past the people of Kyoshi have held a ceremony in which the unwed women sixteen or older on the night of the summer solstice dance for the unwed men in hopes of enticing one to propose."

"I've heard enough, Sugar Queen, I'm out of here – " Toph hissed under her breath, but Katara had the earthbender's bicep in a death grip.

"We can at least hear it out." Katara whispered in her direction.

"So the women, us, will dance to a few songs which we will practice today, and afterwards someone who has taken particular interest may approach you with a token of their love and ask you to marry them. You can of course turn them down or can say 'yes'. It's really all up to the girl."

"See Toph, we can take turns turning down all the men on this island," Katara giggled quietly.

"Dancing though?" Toph admonished.

"It's time you live a little," Katara smiled.

"Ugh, fine. But I don't have to like it."

"Fair enough."

A/N: Just in case you were curious about what a longevity jacket looks like, I did a little research and I thought Katara would've looked great in one of these (just click on the link, or if it doesn't show up right let me know in a review and I can email it or something)

to those of you who read the first chapter and especially to those of you who reviewed. I'm pretty sure my head couldn't fit through most doors today! If you feel like making that an honor challenge and would like to review more to make me even happier I won't hold you back. So go ahead… I'll look the other way.