Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Author's Note: To clear things up, yes, this IS a SEQUEL. Please read Avatar in Training, as I am assuming my readers will be familiar with that story, and I allude to many of the things that happened there. Here I introduce my first OC! Sorry it's kind of slow development, but I promise the party will be worth the wait!

Preparations

Katara went out to the small bathhouse behind the place they were staying. Hot water had already been brought, fortunately. It seemed kind of unfair to Katara sometimes that she could melt and freeze water, but she couldn't make any other changes to its temperature. Zuko or Iroh could have heated it, but for obvious reasons, they were keeping a low profile.

Katara took her hair down and washed it for what seemed like the first time in months. It actually felt good having it down, and she considered wearing it that way for the feast. She sank into the tub and soaked in the hot water, allowing the tension of the last few days to work its way out of her muscles.

One of the nice things about the last two days had been all the talking she and Aang had been able to do in the absence of their other companions. Now that the barrier of the mutual denial of their feelings had been broken down, any subject was open, and their level of connection had deepened even further. Aang had even confessed to her that he hadn't really believed Katara's assertion that his 100-year sojourn in an iceberg was somehow meant to be until they had kissed.

Katara knew exactly what he meant. That unique union of sensation and emotion was unlike anything she had ever experienced, and she also felt like she'd been waiting her whole life for that moment. Her mouth curved into a smile as she thought about it. She loved kissing Aang, and she frequently took the opportunity to do it. Before meeting him, she had wondered what a kiss felt like, but the reality was far better than she could possibly have imagined.

After she'd first met Aang, Katara had to admit it had occurred to her that she might finally have a chance to try kissing. After all, he was the first boy she'd seen in more than two years (except Sokka, of course) who was over the age of eight. Finding out he was the Avatar had complicated things quite a bit, though.

Katara sighed and closed her eyes, glad that they had finally worked things out. Finally, she stepped out of the bath, bended the water off herself, and slipped back into her clothing, which she had also run water through in at least a cursory attempt to clean them. She braided her hair again and went to meet her brother.

"Well, finally!" he exclaimed when she arrived. "I hope you feel better."

"Actually, I do," she responded, feeling too content to even think about rising to the bait. Sokka led them to a moderately sized house right in the middle of the village, on the edge of the market square, and knocked on the door. A slim, pretty young woman with lightly tanned skin and eyes so dark they were nearly black answered and smiled at them. Her brown hair was gathered by combs at the back of her head, leaving the rest to fall to her waist. She wore a simple kimono in various earth tones.

"This is Hong," Sokka introduced her. "Hong, my sister Katara."

"It is an honor to meet you," Hong bowed slightly in greeting, and Katara returned the gesture.

"Thank you for offering to help me," Katara said politely.

"Well, I'll leave you ladies to your business," Sokka took his leave. Katara went inside and was surprised to find Suki there as well.

"Hey, I need a dress, too," the female warrior indicated by way of explanation. "We didn't bring our Kyoshi uniforms on this mission. Anyway, it might be nice to wear something a little more girly for a change." A small smile played around her lips as she made that statement.

"What's so funny?" Katara wondered. Suki shook her head and laughed.

"Oh, I was just remembering that Sokka called our warrior outfits girly when I made him wear one back home."

"You know, he was still wearing that when we left," Katara mused thoughtfully. "I wonder if he still has it?"

"Thanks, but I doubt it would fit me."

"I wasn't suggesting--" Katara began, but Suki cut her off.

"I know. I was just teasing."

Hong led them both to a back room containing two large wardrobes. She opened them to reveal dresses and other outfits in various styles and colors.

"I'm the lead costumer for our local theatre troupe," she explained. "We've been rather short on men lately, so there are lots of ladies' clothing options. The other women and I amuse ourselves by making elaborate costumes and putting on short plays. It helps take our minds off the war."

"These are beautiful," Katara murmured, fingering the fabrics tentatively. "I'm not sure I could wear anything this fine."

"Oh, no, you're very beautiful," Hong insisted. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in some of my designs. You'll make any of them look good!"

"Besides," Suki put in, "I'm sure Aang would think you're pretty even if you wore a grain sack." Katara blushed, but it didn't stop her from retorting.

"I'm sure Sokka feels the same way about you," she said.

"Probably," answered Suki easily. "But I'm doing this for me, not him."

"Do you have any idea what color or style you are looking for?" Hong addressed them both, rifling through the gowns. Suki just shrugged, but Katara pulled an item out of her belt.

"It just has to go with this," she said, showing the hand-woven necklace to the other girls.

"That's lovely work," Hong remarked, coming over to inspect it.

"Aang made it for me a while ago."

"Wow, you have the Avatar making you jewelry?" said Hong with a twinkle in her eye. "Lucky girl."

"Yes, I am," agreed Katara happily.

"Well, I'll see what I can do."

The three girls spent the next two hours trying on clothes and chatting. Though Katara had grown accustomed to having mostly boys around, it was actually sort of nice to be with a couple of girls for a while. It reminded her a little of home. At one point, Hong commented on Katara's hair and asked if she could style it for her in preparation for the feast. Katara decided to allow this, and she and Suki both agreed to meet there so they all could dress together the following evening. Katara also mentioned bringing Toph along. She didn't know if the young earthbender would want to join them, but she thought she'd better set things up just in case.

As she left Hong's house, Katara felt oddly refreshed in a different way than she'd felt from her bath. She strolled through the market, looking for a birthday present for her brother. It was not an easy decision, as Sokka tended to have simple needs, and they couldn't carry anything very large along with them. In the end, she decided on a new travel sized sharpening stone and some spun-sugar sweets.

Katara had just made her last purchase when a voice called her name. She turned in surprise to see a familiar pair of green eyes.

"Haru!" she exclaimed, running to the young man and giving him a brief hug. "I didn't realize we were close to your village."

"You're not, really," Haru replied. "Dad and I heard about what was going on over here and decided to come and see if we could help. We've been traveling for two days and just got here this morning. And now I hear they're throwing some kind of party for you tomorrow."

"Well, for Aang, mostly," Katara answered, downplaying her own role in recent events.

"You know, this might seem sort of sudden, but would you like to go to it with me?"

That was a surprise. Katara fumbled for the words to turn him down.

"Oh, um, that's really sweet of you, Haru, but Aang and I are, well, together now." She felt herself blushing and wondered why this was so hard to say. Then it hit her that this was the first time she'd ever actually had to tell anyone about her changed relationship with Aang. Sokka and the others had basically been there when it all happened, and the people of this village had pretty quickly figured it out.

"Wow, you and the Avatar? That's great!" He really did sound happy for her, and Katara breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled as an idea occurred to her.

"However, we do have a new member of our group that might need an escort," she suggested, bringing him back to the house she and the others were sharing.

"Hey, Katara," Toph greeted her as they entered Aang's room. "Who have you brought with you?"

"Haru!" Aang was already identifying the young man. "Nice to see you again."

"And you, Avatar Aang," Haru responded, bowing respectfully, but Katara noticed his eyes flicking over Aang's bare arms and back. She remembered that Haru hadn't seen much of Aang's tattoos before, and her mouth twitched a little as she recalled her own interest the first time she got a good look. At least, she was pretty sure it had been the tattoos that interested her. To distract herself from the direction of that particular thought, she walked over and gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek.

"So, you guys all know each other?" Toph asked, standing up from the chair she'd been slouched in before.

"Haru is an earthbender we met a few months ago," Katara explained. "Haru, allow me to present Toph Bei Fong, Aang's earthbending teacher." Haru's eyes widened.

"You're from the Bei Fong family?" he addressed Toph, expressing some amazement.

"That's right."

"It would be my honor to escort you to tomorrow evening's feast," Haru informed her, bowing politely to her.

"Well, when you put it that way…," Toph agreed, tilting her head thoughtfully. "On one condition."

"What's that?"

"Katara said you're an earthbender. I want you come with me and show me what you've got." Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Haru by the hand and pulled him out the door. Katara found herself wondering if she had made a mistake as she took in Haru's perplexed look. Aang, meanwhile, was stifling giggles into his hand, and as she turned, their eyes locked. For some reason, this set him off into another fit, and Katara couldn't help but smile back.

The following day, Katara finally allowed Aang out of the house, though he suspected she would not have done so if it were not necessary for him to go bathe and shop for his own gift for Sokka. He doubted he could do any better than the feast already planned, but he was determined to make some kind of effort.

His first stop was to the backyard to visit Appa, since Aang was pretty sure that a bison tongue-bath was not part of Katara's idea of hygiene.

"Hey, buddy," he said to his oldest friend, who, sure enough, welcomed him by running his giant tongue the complete length of Aang's body. Aang laughed happily and hugged the furry muzzle.

"I missed you, too," he said, pulling himself close to one of Appa's ears. "Just between you and me, though, Katara's kisses are better." Appa opened his mouth and let out a rumbling sound.

"Well, of course it's different," Aang answered the nonverbal comment. "Let's go flying!" Katara had hidden his glider and forbidden him from any but the most minor bending for the day, but she hadn't said anything about flying on Appa's back. Boy and bison enjoyed their romp through the clouds, but eventually, it was time for Aang to say goodbye again and head off on his other errands.

Katara had washed his spare clothing for him, so those were ready for him to step into once his bath was done. Now he just had to be careful to keep them clean for the rest of the day. He took the portion of their group budget that was allotted to him and went toward the market square.

Aang was so happy to have some measure of freedom that he lingered rather longer than necessary, strolling about the village, greeting people, and playing with children. By the time he got back to the house, Katara and Toph had already left to go get ready for the feast. Aang took the opportunity to give Sokka his birthday present, some dried meats he could take on the next leg of their journey.

"Do girls always do these things together?" he asked Sokka some time later.

"Girls do practically everything together," Sokka answered absently. He was shaving. Aang felt fidgety. He was already dressed, his gray tunic belted at the waist with a black sash over close-fitting leggings of the same color and low, black boots. He was clean, his head was freshly shaved, and he really couldn't think of anything else he needed to do.

"Are you about ready?" Aang asked for probably the eighth time in the last half hour. He supposed he could have gone by himself, but he was a little nervous and wanted whatever moral support his friend could provide. After all, this was his first date with Katara, unless you counted the penguin sledding. Sokka sent an amused glance his way.

"Usually I'm the one anxious for the food," he commented dryly. "It won't start for a while, though. We have plenty of time." Sokka stood up straight and surveyed himself in the mirror. He was wearing a borrowed black doublet with silver fastenings and trim, pearl-gray trousers, and black knee boots. His hair was the same as always, and he continued to wear his signature bone choker and his boomerang in its holder. At last, he declared himself done.

"Finally," Aang sighed. "Let's go."

"Why do I get the feeling it's not the meal you're interested in?" Sokka mused aloud. Aang didn't answer, but he felt his face heat up.

--

Member of the Boomeraang Squad: charleegirl, Jesus.Lives, Liselle129

Author's Note: Okay, I didn't deal with Zuko and Iroh. I'm assuming they left earlier. Also, Suki and her warriors are staying somewhere else. Chapter 3 is already about half done, and I don't have much school work this week, so that will hopefully be up soon.

Thank you to abcdef…, kataangfan22, MormonMaiden (drooling yet?), TTAvatarfan, Avatarian Sweet Pea, pinguinolatino, SnakeEyes16, frozenheat, Dakyu, Ari-Griffin, Tech-Man, Artemis Rae, and charleegirl for reviewing. I think I sent messages to those who required specific responses.