In the three days that followed their arrival at the Southern Air Temple, Aang hadn't a single nightmare about Tonrar, not one bad feeling that the spirit was nearby and, much to his relief, it seemed not one of his friends was about to start talking about it. He suspected that Katara, or even Suki, had something to do with this, and instead of questioning him on what he knew about Tonrar and what had happened between the time he had run from the Fire Nation and been found in the South, the focus seemed to be entirely on distracting him as much as possible. As guilty as he felt that everyone was having to go out of their way just to keep him from self destructing, he couldn't deny that he appreciated their attempts at cheering him up immensely.
The morning after their first night at the temple Aang had been woken by Katara, who had already gotten some breakfast ready for them. Any awkwardness that had been created by Aang's reactions to them the day before seemed to have been forgotten, and Sokka seemed eager to usher Aang over to breakfast.
"So, I've been thinking," he said, mouth full of rice, "you know how you often threw around the idea of restoring the temples at some point?"
Aang had nodded, taking his own bowl from Katara, who was scowling at Sokka's blatant disregard for good manners.
"Well, why don't we get started here? Until we know what's going on with, uh, you know who, we could tidy this place up a bit. We don't know how long we'll be here, may as well make the most of our time."
Aang's first instinct had been to refuse. With such a tenuous hold on his emotions he wasn't sure if exploring his old home was such a good idea. But the genuine enthusiasm in Sokka's eyes, and the encouraging look that Katara flashed him, lead him to reconsider. After all, he didn't have to go anywhere that he didn't feel comfortable with right now, but maybe spending some time at the temple doing something positive would help him to feel more like himself again. And so he had agreed, and the group had spent the next few days working hard on different areas of the temple, pulling up overgrowing vegetation, repairing stone with their bending where possible, cleaning up the vast amounts of dust and rubble that had formed over the last century. There were still places he couldn't go; the old dorms still felt impossible to enter, and the stone building where he knew Gyatso's remains lay were a strict no-go area for him. But, for the most part, he could feel a sense of positivity returning, a sense of hope, and undeniably he felt better about his friends having found him and not letting him go off alone.
His relationship with his friends had changed, however. Toph seemed to be hyper aware of him at almost all times, and he could almost sense her reading him, making sure that he was speaking honestly and that he was remaining level headed. Sokka, for all the shock and anger he had shown when he had found out about Aang's attempts to murder his sister, seemed remarkably unphased once more, though Aang definitely noticed that Sokka refused to go anywhere without his whale bone sword attached to his hip. Suki and Katara seemed the only ones not behaving out of the ordinary, but he supposed the four of them were talking about him when they retired to the dorm and he went and slept by Appa and Momo.
Despite their intimate kiss a couple nights before, Aang and Katara hadn't really had much of an opportunity to spend any time alone. Indeed, their relationship seemed much the same as it had before Katara had left for the South Pole, he relying heavily on her words of affection and her hand in his. But, with Sokka a constant presence and not-so discretely keeping an eye on Aang, there had been no chance for the two of them to really discuss or act upon that small but undeniable step forward in their relationship. In truth, Aang wasn't sure if he was disappointed or not. For as much as the twelve-year-old boy still inside him wanted desperately to know what came next, the sixteen-year-old that had been forced to mature so suddenly knew that anything more could be dangerous and difficult. Not only was their present predicament somewhat unexpected and potentially life threatening, Yuddha's words still plagued him at times. Whether they did after the disaster in the Fire Nation or not, Aang knew that many expected him to be marrying, probably having children, working towards bringing back his almost extinct people. That wasn't fair on Katara, and to be as completely honest as possible he wasn't ready for that yet. Not when the world was still in such disarray. And so, the couple had contented themselves with hand holding and sweet talk, and even with Sokka's complaints in the background, Aang allowed himself to feel the smallest amount of contentment, to try and forget everything awful that had been happening.
On their third day at the temple, Aang was woken from another mercifully dreamless sleep by what felt like a hard kick to his shin. Grumbling he pulled the blanket away from over his face, and looked around with bleary eyes.
"Toph, what the hey?"
"Wake up, Twinkletoes," the earthbender replied, hands on hips and she kicked him again. "I know we're all trying to be super nice to you and everything but doesn't seem right that you get to sleep as long as you want when Katara gets us up at pretty much crack of dawn."
Still grumbling, Aang sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Why does she wake you up that early?" He yawned.
"Beats me," Toph sighed. "Something about needing help setting up breakfast and making sure someone's awake before you are."
No long feeling sleepy, Aang frowned. "You know I don't need baby sitting, right?"
"Oh I know, but trying telling Katara that." Toph turned and began to walk in the direction from which the sound of sizzling breakfast came, and feeling somewhat guilty, Aang got to his feet. Having them trying to keep his spirits high was one thing, but making sure there was always someone around to keep an eye on him? If he wasn't so unsure of himself he might have found it insulting. After slipping behind some thick bushes to change his clothes and hastily brush his teeth, he made his way over to the rest of the group.
When he arrived, Katara was still finishing off breakfast, cooking some thin slices of meat up for them and some egg for him, with the rice boiling away in a large pot, and the smell made his stomach grumble loudly.
"Morning, sweetie," she said with a smile, to which Sokka made a disgusted noise and rolled his eyes. Ignoring Sokka, Aang came to her side and pecked her on her cheek.
"Morning, sweetie."
"Why can't you guys just call each other by name?" Sokka grumbled. "You're going to ruin my appetite."
"Sokka's just jealous because you don't call him sweetie, Aang," Toph said, leaning back languidly against a rock and picking her teeth.
"You only have to ask, Sokka," Aang said, and Katara and Suki both laughed as Sokka glared at him.
"Ha ha very funny," he muttered sourly. His mood was lifted, however, when Katara pushed a bowl of breakfast into his hands.
"So, what's the plan today?" Suki asked, taking her own breakfast.
"Well, I had an idea of what we can start work on next," Katara announced, looking over at Aang with a wide small. Aang, who already had a mouth full of food, blinked back confused.
"Wha-?" He managed. Katara deadpanned.
"Really? Does it have to just be the girls with manners around here?" On cue, Toph let out a loud belch. Katara sighed. "Fine, whatever." Aang hastily swallowed his food.
"What did you want to start work on next, sweetie?" He asked, careful to annunciation each syllable though only really achieving a tone of sarcasm that earned him a withering glare from Katara.
"Well, maybe I'll just tell Suki and you three can stay here being slobs together!"
"I didn't mean it," he said softly, taking one of her hands and pressing it to his lips. Sokka made a disgusted noise. "What did you want to do?"
"Well," Katara's eyes flashed excitedly again. "I was thinking that we could start tidying up the airball court!"
"It looked fine last time we were there," Sokka said, filling his already empty bowl up with the meat that remained on the pan.
"That was four years ago, Sokka."
"I think that's a great idea," Aang said. And he did. After all, he knew at some point they were going to suggest the dorms, or the sanctum, and the longer he could avoid that the better.
"I thought, maybe, we could try and play a game too," Katara continued, her eyes practically dancing with delight at Aang liking her suggestion. "It'd be fun!"
"You know that game is impossible if you can't airbend?" Sokka butted in. "I'm not going to be tricked into that again."
"Oh, Sokka, stop being a baby." Suki said. "I'm sure it's not that bad. Let's give it a go."
After breakfast, the group made their way on Appa down to the airball court which remained, as Sokka had predicted, in remarkably good condition given the century that it had stood abandoned and unkempt. Plants had grown up some of the wooden poles, and weeds stuck out between the gaps in the stone, but it was nothing that a little bit of spit and bending couldn't take care of. Suki seemed intrigued, placing a hand against the nearest pole, Toph however looked thoroughly put out.
"How exactly am I supposed to play this game?" She asked. "Unless those poles are just decorative. I won't be able to see a thing up on those."
"Oh ..." Katara looked over at her guiltily. "Sorry, Toph, I guess I didn't realise."
"It's fine," Toph replied, kicking up a slab of rock from the ground. "I've got a day of sitting around doing nothing to catch up on anyway."
"Oh Toph, I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"No it's fine," Toph repeated, sitting back. "I'm sure listening to Sokka embarass himself will be entertaining enough."
"Hey! Why is it always me you pick on?"
"You make it so easy."
"So, what are the rules?" Suki asked. She had already climbed up onto the pole and was sat looking down at them. Aang glanced around the court, finally spotting the old hollowed wooden airball lying beside a bed of flowering quince. A sense of nostalgia passed over him as he picked it up, the subtle old cane wood giving way softly in his hands.
"It's easy enough," he said, his spirits already beginning to lift. "You've got to get this ball-" he held up the airball, "into those hoops." He pointed towards the hoop at the other side of the court, at the wooden goalpost.
"That seems easy enough," Suki replied brightly, neatly skipping from one pole to the next as if testing her agility. Sokka looked less confident.
"Well, the idea is that you use airbending to get the ball across," Aang continued, and he jumped up onto one of the poles closest to the left goal and, raising the ball into the air and working it into a spin, he cut a slice through the air that sent the ball ricocheting off the poles before soaring neatly through the farthest goal post. "So, that's where it's going to get tough for you guys. I mean, don't feel bad," he added, as he jumped and landed beside the fallen ball, "not even some airbenders could get the hang of it."
"You see what I mean?" Sokka said, arms crossed. "It's impossible."
"We'll just have to adjust the game a little bit," Suki said. "If Aang can airbend, then Katara should be allowed to waterbend, don't you think?"
"Seems fair to me," Aang shrugged.
"And there should be a bender on each team. So, I propose girls versus boys, me and Katara against you two slobs."
At that, Sokka perked up. "Well, if I'm going to be on Aang's side, maybe this game isn't going to be a complete waste of time. Watch out, ladies, you don't stand a chance." He jumped up, grabbing the top of the wooden pole, before his feet slipped and he fell gracelessly onto his rear.
"You're right," Toph said, picking her nose and tapping her feet lazily. "You're unstoppable, Sokka."
He threw her an irritated glare before Aang brought up the earth below Sokka, throwing him onto the wooden beam beside him with an oof.
"The youngest player gets to put the ball into play," Aang continued. "So that's me."
"Uh, technically you're one hundred and sixteen years old," Katara called back at him from her side of the court. "By my count that makes you the oldest and me the youngest."
"She's got a point," Suki agreed.
"Yeh but he was in an iceburg for one hundred of those, it doesn't count!"
"Ref calls it!" The foursome looked over to see Toph raising a hand. "And given you're all rudely playing a game I can't join in on, I think I should be the ref. Aang's an old man, Katara gets the put the ball into play."
"Yes!" Katara and Suki high-fived one another.
"Don't get too excited, that's means you're dating an old man, Katara."
"Haha, Katara!" At that, Sokka raised his hand as if to high five Aang, before realising what he was doing and hastily dropping his hand. Katara was already holding her hand out for the ball, smirking at the pair of them, and Aang threw it to her.
"Ok, Katara puts the ball into play then," he conceded. "But you can't aim for the goal on your first throw. If you fall off the poles once that's a penalty and the opposing team gets a free throw, if you fall off twice then that player is out of the game!"
"Ahh man," Sokka muttered, looking uncomfortably down at the ground.
"First to seven goals wins the game. Any questions?"
"Can we throw back?" Katara asked, holding the ball against her hip with one arm, her face the very picture of confidence.
"Yeh."
"And you can only use airbending, right?"
"Uhh ... yeh."
"Ok, then I'm good to go," Katara replied, before she and Suki ducked close to each other and whispered briefly in one another's ears.
"Uhh, should we be developing a strategy too?" Sokka asked.
"Good idea." Aang leaned in close to Sokka now. "I'll defend and go for the goals, you just try and stay on the poles."
Sokka scowled at him. "Oh everyone's a comedian round here."
"You lily livers ready?" Suki yelled.
"Oh, we're ready you ... lily ... uhh ... We're ready alright!" Sokka yelled back.
Toph cleared her throat loudly, holding up a hand again and pointing three fingers to the sky. "On my count-"
"Don't think we're going to take it easy on you just because you've not played before!" Aang called.
"Three ... two ... one ... Go!"
Aang expected Katara to immediately throw the ball, complete with her own brand of violent waterbending, straight towards the goal, and readied himself to defend, however he and Sokka were taken back when she just smiled sweetly at both of them and threw the ball backwards to Suki.
"What was the point in that?" Sokka threw both his hands in the air. "You know you're supposed to throw the ball towards the go-"
His words were cut short by Suki throwing the ball up in the air above her, and taking a fast and powerful kick towards the goal as it came back down. Sokka ducked, and Aang who had been distracted by Katara's move and Sokka's goading, almost completely missed the ball as it threatened to fly straight into the goal. Spreading his finger tips he just managed to get a blast of air behind the ball and send it straight back towards the girls, but Katara was prepared, pulling water from the weeds that grew around the posts and causing the ball to soar right over Aang and Sokka's head and, with a satisfying swoosh, straight into the goal.
Aang and Sokka's mouths fell open, as Katara and Suki cheered, high fiving one another again.
"Alright this means business!" Sokka yelled, catching the ball as Toph kicked it back into the air with her earthbending. "Sokka punch!" With surprising accuracy, Sokka threw the ball up and hit it with the back of his fist towards the other goal post. Aang, who was still a little surprised with the ease Katara had bested him last goal, took a moment to react when the airball was thrown straight back at them with her bending, though he wasn't going to let the ball slip past him again. He saw Suki and Katara both reaching up, and decided to bend the ball low, it skimmed past both of them before they could react and went into the goal.
"Airbending slice!" Sokka swung his hands in front of him as if in demonstration, whilst Aang grinned smugly at Katara.
"Looks like we actually have a game on our hands," Suki said happily as she took the ball.
"Mmhmm." Katara began piling her thick hair back into a single ponytail before pulling a yellow piece of fabric out from the front of her top, something that Aang found incredibly fascinating, his collar growing hot as she stretched up and tied the ribbon around her hair.
"Dammit man, don't let their feminine wiles fool you!" Sokka slapped him hard around the back of his bald head, bringing him back to reality. Katara simply smiled at him again, before Suki kicked the airball towards the goal. The game was a surprisingly even one, Katara's bending proving to be quite the match for Aang's practiced hand at getting the ball to go where he wanted it to. Even when Sokka took a fall once, the warrior remained in high, and highly competitive spirits, and it wasn't until Suki took a fall and Sokka all too excited ran forward to take his shot at the goal and fell a second time that the game started to take a shift in one team's favour. Sokka had sworn loudly, causing Katara to scorn him and Toph to let out a loud snort of anger, but still the warrior had stood by Aang's side of the court, yelling and encouraging him to take down 'those bunch of girls and defend his honour." Even without having to worry about Sokka slipping, however, Aang wasn't having the easiest time of it. Katara knew very well that she was able to distract him, stretching in between throws, casually biting her lips if they made eye contact, it was decidedly unfair. Eventually, with each team both tied on six, Suki took her final fall.
"Suuuuukiiii's out!" Toph yelled. She was standing, seemingly unable to remain seated through what was such an exciting event. Growling Suki rubbed her rear, whilst Sokka stuck his tongue out.
"Kick his butt, Katara," she called back to her team mate, who was already preparing to block Aang's free throw.
"Oh, I intend to," she said back, eyes flashing in Aang's direction. He strove to ignore her, which was especially difficult when she leaned forward, the top of her tunic sliding down one shoulder and revealing that she was wearing something else yellow underneath her clothing. Oh she had this planned, he realised, his palms sweaty. This entire game had been organised just so she could mess with him.
"Are you going to take your throw, sweetie?" She asked.
Girls are evil, he thought to himself. He took a deep breath, making the ball spin in front of him, before he sliced his hands through the air, angling to ball outwards yet curving towards the goal. Katara was quick to react, bending a piece of ice out of the ground that stuck the ball, before she aimed it back towards him.
"Aang I swear to Yue if you let a girl beat you-"
Aang threw the ball back, Katara reacted, and perhaps the most intense match of airball proceeded over the next few minutes, Sokka practically pulling his hair out at the sidelines, Suki and Toph yelling for Katara to 'take out the Avatar', Aang no longer caring about being the gentleman and hitting the ball as hard as he could each time whilst Katara retaliated with equal fierceness until, finally-
"KATARA SCORES!"
Sokka let out a wail of despair whilst Toph and Suki cheered, Katara throwing her arms in the air triumphantly, and Aang left soaked after Katara had drenched him in a small wave in her attempt to get the ball into the goal.
"Who knew you had it in you, Sugar Queen?" Katara grinned and bowed, before smirking at Aang again, who glowered for a moment, before a smile broke his lips too. Girls were evil, he conceded, as she jumped down from the poles, but there was no denying that this had been a very good way to spend the day. Shaking his head, yet smiling only broader, he jumped down too. Sokka shook his head in utter disappointment, Toph called him a girl several times, but it was impossible for him to feel the least bit down when Katara's face was glowing with such utter joy.
Much later, after Sokka had insisted on one more game against Suki, which he lost, and they had eventually decided that they would at least try to tidy up the court a little, the group made their way back to the dorm on Appa, everyone tired yet content, faces sore from laughing, and stomachs rumbling with the appetite they had built up, and not a single one of them thinking about why they were here, what had happened in the Fire Nation, and what was yet to be.
oOoOo
The night was cold, a biting breeze stinging his bare torso as he sat, legs crossed, fingers interlocked, and eyes closed. For the first time in what felt like weeks, the Avatar had gone to bed in good spirits, and had decided that he would attempt to meditate into the Spirit World once more, to contact his past lives, or perhaps even to try and speak to the only ancient spirit that he knew, though he hoped it wouldn't come to the latter. It was an undeniably curious position he found himself in.
Crossing into the Spirit World via meditation always felt like slipping his mind into a warm bath, the warmth gradually rising until his entire consciousness seemed to be submerged and he was no longer aware of his physically body back in the Mortal World. When he couldn't cross over there was simply nothing, no wall, no mugginess, just simply nothing. But his attempts to cross over lately felt like he was fazing in and out, like dipping his toe into a freezing lake and struggling to find the strength to submerge the rest of himself. It was there, he could feel it, the Spirit World was just below that lake, but with every inch of his body dipping into it his tolerance for that icey cold would lessen, and he would have to jump straight back out again. He wasn't sure if his inability to enter was down to the damage Tonrar had caused, or if the Spirit World simply didn't want him there. But the combination of icy lakes and biting winds made it impossible for him to push any farther.
"Aang."
A voice just as cold as lake and wind cut through him.
"Aang?"
He opened his eyes, the physical world and its elements becoming known to him once more, and he looked towards the source of the voice. It was late, his friends had retired to the dorm some time ago, and he was surprised to see Katara standing in front of him.
"Katara?" He looked up at her with concern, worried that something had happened. "What's the matter? Is everything ok?"
"Yeh, everything's fine," she replied, though she cocked her head to one side. "Are you ok? You were frowning."
"Oh, was I?" he rubbed the back of his head and threw her a smile. "It's nothing to worry about, I was just meditating."
Katara came and sat beside him, breathing a small sigh.
"What are you doing up?" Aang asked, leaning forward to look at her.
"Well, everyone else is asleep, exhausted after today I expect, so I thought I'd come and give you some company."
"But it's cold out here," Aang said softly, reaching out and arm and wrapping it around her shoulders.
"Mmhmm." She nestled closer, a grin on her face, and Aang caught on.
"You organised this didn't you?" He asked. "The airball thing was just to tire everyone out so they wouldn't bother us tonight."
Katara raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. "You really think I would do something like that?"
"I really think you would."
She laughed, resting her head against his chest, and with a content smile he kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair.
"Ok, so I wanted to spend some time with you without Sokka peering over my shoulder," she admitted. "Is that's so bad?"
"Definitely not."
A silence fell over them as the pair cuddled up, Aang with his arms around her and looking out over the mountain ranges beyond. A large part of his mind remained preoccupied with his inability to get into the Spirit World, because he honestly could not see how he could understand Tonrar, understand how to fight him, without contacting his past lives. He knew so little about this spirit, he knew so little even about what he wanted, he needed help and he needed guidance, perhaps now more than ever. A soft sensation on his arm dragged his attention away from the dark landscape and he looked down to see Katara running a finger up and down his forearm. The expression on her face seemed equally as contemplative as his must have been, and he loosened his hold around her and looked into her eyes.
"Katara? What's wrong?"
She looked back at him for a moment, as if unsure of where to start, before sighing gently. "There's nothing wrong, not exactly."
He cocked his head in light encouragement for her to continue.
"I know we're all trying hard not to talk about it," she said. "Not yet. But I'm still worried."
"Me too," Aang mumbled, his heart skipping a beat at the thought of the dark spirit. "I don't want him near me, but I don't like not knowing where he is, either."
"I meant about you."
Aang looked down at her, blinking.
"I know we'll deal with Tonrar, one way or another. But I'm worried about you, about how much you've changed over the last few weeks."
A sinking stomach now joined his skipping heart.
"I understand that this is a scary time for you, Aang," she continued, reaching up and touching his cheek. "But you can't let it change you."
Change him? He knew full well that he had changed. His connection to his past lives seemed to be lost, he couldn't control the Avatar State, he could not control his emotions and he felt more fear now than he had ever done in his life, how could all of that not change him? For the briefest of moments he felt a flash of anger that Katara would say she understood how scary it was for him yet ask that he doesn't change. Hadn't she changed during the War? Hadn't they all? But the warmth of her hand on his cheek calmed him, and he gently placed his own palm over hers.
"I'm trying," he said, honestly. "But this has changed me and for better or worse I just have to learn to deal with that."
She seemed taken aback, her eyes wrought with concern, but he smiled at her.
"Change isn't such a bad thing," he said, and then he surprised himself with a laugh. "Look how much things have changed between us since we first met! It was scary the first few times I tried to tell you how I felt about you, scary the first time we went on a date ..."
"You know those aren't really comparable to fighting an all-controlling spirit," Katara interrupted, raising an eyebrow.
"Speak for yourself!" He took her hand from his cheek, gently kissing the back of it. "My point is, things are going to be different for a while, but I know we're strong enough to cope with it."
"Where's all this wisdom coming from, huh?" Katara asked, nudging him gently and smiling. Aang pressed their palms flat together, before letting their fingers interlock.
"Actually, from you." At that, Katara blushed, and she looked out over the mountains basking in moonlight, and he could only stare at her pretty red cheeks and shining eyes, and the small smile on her lips.
"You were really that scared on our first date?" She asked at last, looking back at him.
"You kidding? I mean, I'd only spend an entire year falling in love with you, you're just about the most talented bender I've ever known, and the most beautiful woman in the world to boot. My knees were shaking the entire time."
Katara laughed. "Well, if it makes you feel any better I didn't notice. I was too busy feeling dazed that I had fallen for my best friend."
"Sokka's right," Aang said. "We are sickeningly adorable, aren't we?"
"We are the cutest." They smirked at one another, before Katara pulled away from him and, just like she had a few nights ago, sat on his lap so that they were face to face, legs crossed around him. His heart skipped again, though this time with happiness and anticipation, as he gently brushed her hair back over her shoulders. He noticed the yellow thin straps over her shoulders, and ran his finger across one of them.
"You don't normally wear yellow," he mused.
"I like the colour," she replied, before pointedly pulling at the leg of his trousers. "And I thought maybe you'd like it."
He felt his neck growing hot again, and cleared his throat. "Yeh, it's uhh ... it's nice." She looked at him rather intensely then, and he could feel through the earth below them her heart starting to beat a million miles an hour, and she bit her lip as if struggling with a decision. "What is it?"
A slither of fear crossed across her features, and she swallowed loudly. "Uhh, nothing, nothing I was just ... uhh." She tapered off.
"Sweetie?" Aang narrowed his brow, concerned. At that, Katara pressed her lips tightly together, and took a deep breath, before she reached down and began to untie the white sash around her waist. "Uhh-" Aang was cut short however when she swiftly pulled her tunic over her head, revealing the yellow woven bra she wore beneath. The heat around Aang's neck spread to his face to his toes, to just about everywhere else and he stammered. "O-oh."
"Just kiss me before I get cold feet," she said quickly, her own face bright red. He didn't need telling twice, practically smashing his lips against hers in his own mixed awkwardness and excitement. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as his curled around her waist, his hands holding her sides and running against her bare skin. It certainly wasn't their most graceful of kisses, they were both so giddy with their new intimacy that it felt like they were learning to do so all over again, but the elation Aang felt could be compared to nothing, as her body pressed against his and her hands on the back of his head, a shared sensation of desire between them. His hands slid up to her ribs, and Katara moved up his body, so that his head had to tilt backward to kiss her, before the pair lost balance, causing Aang to fall backwards, their foreheads knocking together as they fell, coaxing a yelp from both of them. Eyes opened, eyes locked, faces blushed beetroot red before they both snorted with laughter.
"We're definitely too adorable for our own goods," he said, rubbing the tip of his nose against hers, before pulling her into another long kiss, his hands running up her back whilst she sighed happily against him. He imagined that he should be taking things further, wondered if she wanted him to kiss her somewhere other than the lips, wondered how she would feel about him moving his hands lower, but before he could act upon these thoughts, his foot pressed flat to the earth picked up a slight rumble of activity, and he broke away, looking quickly down. Katara let out an irritated moan, but also looked down when she saw that Aang had been distracted by something.
"Is Sokka always going to interrupt us?" She asked with a heavy sigh.
"It might have just been Appa or Momo," Aang replied, when he felt no more movement. He looked up at her, laying so delightfully across his body.
"We probably should stop," she said, clearly disappointed. "It could be Sokka next time."
"If we must ..." he kissed her on the cheek, then the chin, then her other cheek before she sat up. He tried in vain not to watch her as she grabbed her tunic and tied it back around her.
"I'm staying out here with you, though," she said with finality. "As you said before, it's cold out here. You can't be expected to sleep out here on your own."
Aang stood up, reaching out a hand to help her to her feet. "I have no problem with that."
They wandered, hand in hand, back to where Momo and Appa were sleeping, the cold wind making them both grateful that they would have another to rely on for warmth. Before long Aang had made up a rough bed for them out of the blankets that remained on Appa's saddle, and the pair lay close together, Aang wrapping his arms around her whilst she buried her face under his chin. He knew sleep would take him quickly, he always did sleep better when she was there with him, and her contented breathing was almost like a lullaby as his eyes slipped shut.
Fire blazed all around him, a heat pressing in on him that left his chest constricted, his skin red raw, and all that he could manage was a weak scramble, bare feet smacking to the hot stone floor, he arms pulling him forward as much as his legs were. He had to get away from the fire before exhaustion took him and he perished inside of it. He felt stone start to cool and he realised that he could breathe easier, looking up from the ground to find himself standing in the courtyard outside of the Temple dorms. Panting, he pulled himself up straight, looking back over his shoulder to see no sign of the firey inferno that had chased him here. He wore the same blue tunic and grey pants from his last dream, though the only sign of wear was the dirt on his knees. Still panting, he looked back towards the Temple.
It seemed larger than ever before, towering over him, and there were ... noises coming from inside. Faint. Scowling he took a step closer, his ears desperate to pick up the source of the noises. It was with pure blood draining horror that he heard screams. Begging. Crying. And laughter. Cold high laughter that he knew too well. His people were trapped, they were being killed up there. He was killing them. Flashes of red and orange lit the windows, and the screaming grew louder.
"Aang please, pleeeeease!"
He ran forward, but as soon as his feet hit the first step into the tower he froze, his chest seemed to implode with panic, and he realised that he couldn't take another step into the tower. He couldn't see what was happening, what had already happened. He couldn't save them.
"Aang he's killing us!"
His hands shook violently and he sank to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"I'm sorry," he managed. "I can't. I can't save you. I can't, I can't, I can't-"
"Aang?" His eyes snapped open. The heat from the fire vanished, and the cold of the stone he lay upon hit him with almost as much force. His face was wet and his chest was heaving, and above him blue eyes shone wide and worried and fearful.
"Sweetie, it's ok. It's ok it was just a dream. Just a dream ..."
A dream? He raised a shaking hand to wipe away the very real tears from his face, before he sat up. It was early morning, the fire that he lad lit the night before was now just a smouldered heap on the ground, and a sick red light seemed to light up the courtyard. It hadn't felt like a dream.
"Aang? Please say something."
He looked across at Katara, her hands gripping his shoulder and cheek, her expression trying to comfort whilst also trying to hide the fear that lay within them.
"They were trapped. All of them."
"All of who? Sweetie, who are you talking about?"
"The Air Nomads ..."
"Oh Aang ..." Katara's voice was small, but he could detect a certain relief that he knew she must feel from knowing that it was an old memory that was haunting him so. But he felt no relief.
"He killed them," he managed.
"Who-"
"Tonrar, he killed them all."
She pulled away from him, her expression intense.
"No, Aang, the Fire Nation killed your people."
He knew that, of course he knew that. But his gaze was drawn towards the Temple dorms, where he knew Sokka, Suki, and Toph were all sleeping, and he felt the blood drain from his face.
"Get them out," he cried, jumping to his feet. "Katara, wake them up and get them out!"
A/N: Sneaky chapter update ... I did say I would abandon this story, didn't I? I know my uploads are slow, but there is so very much going on in my life at this point it's difficult to find the time to do very much of anything! But many nights and on my trips to work I sit and think about the story, writing it in my head and reimagining the scenes ... I know how this story will end now. And eventually I'll write it out.
