Alright, I know it's forever late…but when Kataang week was going on I didn't have a computer and I couldn't participate. I saw someone else had entered a late version and so I decided to do my own. You wouldn't be here if you didn't think Aang and Katara weren't just the cutest, so I'm sure you don't mind.
Prompt 3. Heartbeat
A heartbeat. A sometimes overlooked indication of life. She'd gone through her fourteen years without ever even registering her own. Until that is, being oh-so-close to his lips in the dark cave sent her heart rate escalating into the red. And that wasn't the only time it had occurred. Whenever he told her she looked beautiful, or when she caught him eyeing her with more than just a passing glance, it would involuntarily quicken. It was these instances that made her irrefutably aware of her own heartbeat.
Another instance, however, caused her pulse to quicken and her blood to coarse with such a fever that it disrupted rational thought.
The lightning crackled, and the resounding thunder it caused boomed within her chest. She could only imagine what he was feeling. In one fell swoop, she'd gathered every drop of water present in the catacomb, bringing forth a tidal wave that swept all in its path from their feet. She'd broken his fall, and cradled his lifeless body in her arms, a current of tears streaking over her fevered cheeks. They were given cover, while she ascended to safety.
"He has to live…he has to…"
She laid him down gingerly, looking him over. Placing a hand on his chest she felt for that invaluable sign of life.
"Please….Oh Spirits, please…"
No breaths, no heartbeat…nothing.
The stark realization wrenched her own heart, and the thought crossed her mind that she would give her life energy to him even if it meant her own demise. Through her tears and irrationality, her subconscious took over, drawing the sacred water from the amulet. She pulled him to her, resting his weight on her shoulder, and brought the water to his gaping wound. As it disappeared with a pale blue glow, she wrapped him in her arms and let loose a sob of frustration at her seemingly failed efforts.
Until she heard his voice, and sensed his heartbeat.
She looked into his eyes, graciously receiving the weary grin upon his face, and pulled him again into her embrace.
"You're okay…it's going to be okay…"
From that night forward, she never again dismissed the relevance of that evidence of life. The nights that immediately followed this particular incident, she'd gone to his bedside to place her hand upon his chest, seeking confirmation that he was, and still is, alive.
Now, in this moment, sensing his heartbeat only reiterated her own life energy. They watched the sun rising into their first dawn together as husband and wife, and she'd never felt more alive. He held her close, her back to his chest, wrapped in a blanket to shield against the cool morning air. She could sense the steady rhythm of his heart, and thankful, she closed her eyes. She rested her head against his shoulder, and he nuzzled her neck. He saw she was lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?" he whispered against her skin.
She dropped her gaze from the sunrise and smiled softly, looking at his hands, fingers interlaced with hers.
"How much I'll treasure this moment for the rest of my life."
He smiled, and placed his lips to her bare shoulder, which caused her heart rate to double.
"I love you Katara."
She turned in his embrace, and wrapped her arms securely around his waist. "I love you Aang. I will forever…with every beat of my heart."
