Day 2: Sleepy
The Eternal Slumber
There was not a stir in Air Temple Island. The sun was setting, the twilight was settling in, and the last sight of light was getting ready for its eventual slumber. The island's majestic glow was also hesitating to rise, its once lively view welcoming lonely shadows only. The beauty of the sunset so often admired by the residence was naturally dimming today, it's radiance not yearning for attention with its rich colors. In fact there was no richness at all in its colors today, saturated with a dullness quite uncalled for. It seems like nature, too, was lowering its head in sorrow.
The hour of the full moon was fast approaching. Still there was not the slightest change in the amount of tears shed in the presence of the world's savior. There was no sign of life, either, except for a set of heavy gasps and sighs dangling in the humid air. Accompanied by them was another, more harsh evidence of life- the coughing fits of one whose legacy touched millions.
Lying on a bed in the farthest corner of a central bedroom was Avatar Aang. A man people knew only as the Avatar. A man whose victory stretched far behind mere fame and responsibility. A man who was, unusually, satisfied with the way things were turning out to be on this particular day. Sitting at the end of the bed and softly pressing the soles of his weary feet was a woman. Notably she was Katara- master waterbender from the Southern Tribe and wife of the Avatar. The first and most prominent relation of Aang and pride of the Water Tribe.
The duo were quietly watching each other, looking into the other's eyes with the same purpose only in different roles. After a long time persuading their children to wait outside, they shared their moment of privacy through wordless confessions of love. They both had the awareness that even if a day like this actually came in their lives, their eyes would remain clear and happy. They were to pass the entire time left in joyful moments and past memories, making sure the other was not giving way to regret and pain.
Aang heaved another one of his heavy sighs, his hands folded across his chest and his wise grey eyes glancing over his wife. "You promised me, Katara."
Katara's expression did not change as she responded with a brief nod, feeling the moistness in her eyes heat up from being trapped in tear ducts for so long. "You say it so easily, Aang."
The old airbender laughed with a laugh so familiar that the waterbender was quite surprised to hear the energy it still held. She watched him gather himself together from the outburst.
"You're right." Aang said with a smile. "But a promise is a promise."
"I don't look that sad, do I?"
"You don't." he answered. "But you don't look happy, either."
Katara lowered her head in defeat, thankful that her hair loopies were able to block her eyes from his sight. She didn't want him to see her this way, especially right before he was to depart from the physical world. She did promise him she would keep herself together and prevent from falling apart, but she didn't realize it would be so hard to fulfill that promise. The one and only Katara who had the ability to hide such heart-wrenching pain within herself was now failing terribly in the test the airbender held for her.
Aang's smile faded when he noticed her grip on his tired feet grow tight, as if they wanted to be there forever and never let go. He held a knowing spark within his ever-lively grey hues. Slowly, he started to raise himself up to change his position and sit up. Katara caught his weak arms firmly. "Don't get up. You need to rest."
Aang shook his head. "No, darling. Let me. I want to talk to you."
"You're not in the situation to talk a lot. Rest!"
He chuckled sadly. "I will be resting forever, anyway. If I don't talk now, then when else will I be able to speak again?"
He saw the tears race down from her eyes and grace her cheek. Like all at once her heart seemed to stop before his did. Her expression was of, unexpectedly, anger. "You made me lose."
"No I didn't." he denied playfully.
The mischievous tone of his old, deep voice was still there, as if wishing to be alive and to express itself for a little while longer. It pained her too much. She couldn't bear it anymore. But she knew she had to. There wasn't a choice.
"Sometimes I wonder why I even put up with your silliness in a situation like this." She said in a miserable tone. "You take it so easy, you know that?"
He was still smiling. That smile of his frustrated her deeply just because of how beautiful it looked on his face. And knowing that beauty won't last for long was another object for her to start getting used to. How she wanted to give away even her last breath just to see that smile forever light up his face.
"Did you ever imagine how it would be for me?" Aang asked, ever lit up with happiness and wisdom. "Do you think I will feel happy to see you like this?"
"If you were in my place, you wouldn't say that." she said innocently, wiping away her tears. "You heartbreaker."
"I didn't break your heart." He pouted like child. "I never did such a thing."
"Liar. You always have." She answered with a frown. "That day at Ba Sing Se when you fell. The day of the comet when you just disappeared on that lion turtle. Oh, and what about that time you didn't come home and the kids kept asking me where you were?"
She took a deep breath, eyeing him sadly. "You didn't know how worried I was until I saw you again."
"But I always came back." He consoled her. "I was always with you in spirit. And I still will be."
"You're just happy because you get to go to the spirit world before I do." She argued, flashing him a stern look filled with worry and love.
"Oh, Katara…" he said, shaking his head. "You love me too much to let that happen. Look at me."
"I won't." she said, her voice silencing itself. "I'm still mad at you."
He took his shaking hand and cupped her face like he did every day, using his other hand to wipe away the tears that refused to keep themselves from falling down her face. He lifted her chin up lovingly, the same amount of passion and adoration dancing clearly in his pupils. "You can never be mad at me. You don't even know how."
She could contain herself any longer. With equally shaking arms she embraced him, lying her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. She listened with such fear and love to the rhythm his heart was making, her own heartbeat rapidly increasing from the realization that this could be the last time she ever gets a chance to do this. She closed her eyes and lost herself into the beauty of his heartbeat, smiling for the first time all day.
"You're listening to my heartbeat, are you?"
She nodded. "This isn't the first time I've done this."
"This was the same technique I used every day before the kids were born." He laughed. "The first time was during a few months of our marriage. Remember that?"
"You were so anxious for that second little heartbeat in me." She spoke, her old pupils sparkling at the memory. "You kept doing that every day until you finally heard it."
"You don't know how happy I was." He said, smiling. "So happy that I was running down the streets and screaming out the news."
It was her turn to laugh. "That would probably be the silliest thing you've ever done."
"I couldn't help myself." He said sheepishly. "But the best part… nine months later I was holding a beautiful daughter in my arms."
"She had your smile."
"But she had your eyes." He said enthusiastically. "Such beautiful eyes that even the sky and the oceans put together would feel jealous. She was our little princess."
"I still tried to stop you from listening to my heartbeat again." She said.
"But you couldn't." He smirked, still holding her close. "And that's how I found out about Bumi and Tenzin years later. "
The couple exchanged a few more laughs, reminiscing over their favorite memories. Even though the Avatar felt strong enough to speak, it was hard for him to do so from the interruptions of coughs. His eyes turned glassy and his head felt too heavy to keep itself upright. But he wasn't going to let go of his wife. He sighed and held Katara by the shoulders. It wasn't until the coughing grew worse that she broke away from the embrace. "Are you okay, dear?"
He nodded but still clutched to his chest. "I'm…f-fine…"
"Let me get you some water-"
"No, no." he said, hugging her again as if too afraid for the moment to let go. "Just stay with me. One cough isn't going to hurt."
"That's what I always say." She noted. "Like that time I got sick."
"Shhh. I don't want to hear about it." He said, getting rid of his coughing fit at last. "No sad memories."
"That wasn't sad. You spent the entire day trying to make me some tea."
"Yeah yeah, you were laughing the entire time. But I felt like the whole world was going to end." He said, a slight quiver in his tone at the thought. "I sent for twenty to thirty different healers all over the world to make sure you got better."
"But it was just-"
"I told you it wasn't the common flu." He said abruptly. "And you call me a heartbreaker."
He felt his chest growing heavier all of a sudden. He closed his glassy eyes, placing his hand on Katara's head and stroking her whitened hair affectionately. "Katara…?"
"Hmm?"
"I feel sleepy."
Her smile faded as she let go of him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Already?"
"I can't help it." He breathed sadly. He gave her a desperate look. "P-please?"
She felt the pain coming back. She placed her hand on his cheeks. "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to ask?"
And with that, the airbender placed his head happily on her lap. He looked up at his wife with a rare look of pride, love, happiness, experience, and so many wise emotions mixed together. A look he knew he would give only to the person he felt was closer to him. No, she wasn't just close to his heart… she was one with him. They were the same. They worked in unison all these years. She looked back at him with equal intensity, as if demanding his eyes silently to stay open and watch hers forever. However, it was more like a wordless prayer, pleading those wise stormy eyes of his to never close. To keep assuring her that he will be with her always.
"Listen." He spoke. "I don't want to see you miserable ever again after today. I want you to keep smiling."
She nodded.
"Because if I decide to come visit you in spirit one day and I see you sad," he said, "I'll go back the way I came."
"I won't let you."
"Exactly." He said, widening his grin. "Now smile for me, my forever girl."
She did her best to grin back.
"Wider."
Again she obeyed.
"Wider, I say."
She couldn't. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Please, darling. For me." He coughed, pleading. "You know how much I love to see you smiling."
She did what she was told, emotions trapped in her pupils. She placed her hand over his chest, stroking it gently as if she was trying to chase the cough away and command it to leave his body.
"I wish you all the happiness in the world."
She nodded miserably. "Me too."
"You're not going to wish me goodnight?" he asked innocently.
She longed to see that innocence forever, but merely smiled of how precious it was to look at. "Goodnight, Aang." She managed to say, choking back a sob.
"That's better." He said, closing his eyes and kissing her hand. "Goodnight Katara. I love you."
"I love you more." She murmured in the midst of tears.
He chuckled, knowing that he was going to win this round. With a content smile as goofy and heartfelt as it was since the last fifty years of his meeting with his wife, he whispered with his last breath, "I love you most."
