A/N: (edit : 7/1/07)Hey all! I'm SO surprised the second season of Avatar is over! Goodness, it's just going so fast! I remember last year when I was worrying over season one's season finale but you should've seen me this year. I was such a mess, I couldn't eat for like two weeks straight…anywhoodles oO
I want to say thanks to all my kind reviewers You all make me so happy and just makes me want to continue this story more. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I have this whole sequel pretty much planned out, chapter and plot wise. You guys have some questions I'd love to answer, and sorry I haven't done this earlier
A Great and Terrible Beauty: You're actually the first one to ask me where Toph went lol... I think, there could've been some one else but.. yah. See, in the beginning, towards episode 24-ish which was The Swamp, I despised Toph for odd reasons and I do not know why. I was so angry, I just decided she wasn't going to be introduced into my story... well, as the season progressed, she really grew on me and I came to know and love her personality… so I'm still trying to figure out how to some how squeeze Toph into my story but it's becoming more hard as I go… if you or anyone else have any ideas that would like Toph to be in my story, please let me know! Thanks for the wonderful reviews!
White Fuzzy Ears: Hey, thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you're liking my story. I'm actually planning on having about 3 or 4 of these sequels...my original plan earlier on in the year was that I was going to have 6 sequels but I began to think of how quickly I'd run out of ideas...I'm not really certain but I know for a fact there will be a third sequel and possibly a fourth if we're lucky ;) so yeah, thanks for reading and thanks for the review.
TJSfirelord lol, good idea about the whole 'Guru' 'Crossroads of Destiny' thing but I don't think that'd fit anywhere in my story, I wish it would but I think it fits a whole lot better in the series Avatar rather than the series about a Vyntresser...there will be things some what similar to those in my story though, about Katara. So yeah, lol thanks for the idea and thanks for reviewing.
There are a few more questions some of you have asked but I'm sure they will be cleared up within these next few chapters :)! thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed my story! I really appreciate it and I hope to hear from all of you in future chapters/sequels! Enjoy!
Book Two – Water and Air
Chapter Nine - Red Wings
"Come on, Appa," Aang rasped to his flying bison, he was perched upon, who was having much difficulty staying in the air. He groaned a long, painful and tired out groan before dipping himself even closer to the cold ocean water they flew above.
Katara sat next to Aang, occasionally looking over at him, only to see a more than worried look on his face and in time, those worried looks turned into subconscious mumbling and a quicker breathing rate. Katara smiled apologetically towards Aang and gently placed a warm hand on his stiff back.
"Aang," Katara said soothingly as she gently rubbed her hand around his mid-back, "Appa'll be fine, maybe we could find some sort of doctor around here," Katara suggested before she peered out before her, seeing nothing but ocean for miles. Katara heaved a long sigh and scoot closer to Aang as she continued to gently massage his back. She frowned slightly before averting her gaze from the ocean to the young monk cuddled next to her.
Appa groaned in pain, yet again, only causing Aang to shut his eyes in sadness and attempt to hold back tears. Katara shivered slightly, not liking how in pain the bison sounded, or how sad Aang became with each painful groan. Katara continued to stare at Aang, his eyes shut tightly and his hands in an unforgivable grip on the knees of his yellow airbender pants.
Appa groaned again, Aang let a small sound escape his lips before slowly pressing himself closer to Katara. She frowned, feeling his pain and need for comfort and within seconds, her arms were gently fastened around Aang's shoulders. He sniffled long and soft before he pressed his face further into the shoulder of the warm parka Katara was wearing. Katara continued to rub his back, and in time, she began to whisper soothing words in his ear.
"Everything's going to be okay, Aang," She said softly as she tightened her embrace around him, "You'll see," With this, Aang nodded his head, slowly but surely, before Sokka's voice broke the calm moment.
"Guys, why can't Appa go any higher? He doesn't need all six of his legs to fly!" Sokka said loudly to the two over Appa's saddle, Appa groaned in pain and anger as he did his best to stay in the air. Katara turned and stared at Sokka with an angry look on her face, Aang didn't budge from his comfortable position, and he ignored Sokka for the time being.
"Sokka, I-" Katara was cut off.
"I mean, seriously, I'm getting sick at how close we are to the water," Sokka complained.
"Sokka, Appa's just-"
"You two have no idea what we are doing, I mean, why did we even leave that little island we were just at like two hours ago?! We could've gotten help for Appa but NO, some two people I know had to take charge and leave, have Appa dangling in the air with a broken leg, no one cares!" Sokka hollered, Katara tensed and tightened her grip around Aang.
"Sokka be quiet, we couldn't have stayed on that island, the guards-" Katara was cut off yet again.
"-Oh, and landing, how on earth are we going to land?! Appa needs ALL of his legs to do so and-" Sokka was interrupted.
"Sokka! Shut up! We'll figure everything out now will you just stop yelling!?" Katara hollered. She hugged Aang close to her, knowing that neither him nor Appa deserved this.
"Look who's talking!" Sokka yelled back, at this, Katara could feel Aang's shoulders tense, she gently released her grip from him with a small frown.
"Don't listen to him, Aang," Katara said softly to him, Aang, after a few moments, nodded and wiped a few tears from his cheeks. He then, without words, slowly took hold of Appa's reins before weakly tugging up on them, causing Appa to slowly land into the cold ocean water below them. With this, Appa let out a soft groan, almost one of relief. After a few moments, Aang let go of the reins and took his spot next to Katara. He heaved a long, dry sigh before gazing out to the cold ocean before them.
"You alright?" Katara questioned softly as she placed one hand on his shoulder, he nodded and looked down to his lap.
"I'm fine," He said softly, not sounding too sure of himself. The two sat, Katara continued to gently rub Aang's back in a caring manner. Aang hung his head slightly and fiddled his fingers as the girl next to him whispered sweet little nothings in his ear.
About an hour had gone by and Appa seemed content going at his own speed in the cold ocean water. Aang and Katara continued to sit and talk, occasionally worrying about the bison they were perched on. In time, Sokka gradually made his way from Appa's saddle to Appa's head, next to Katara and Aang and within minutes of doing so, he spotted something far off.
"Hey guys, look!" Sokka exclaimed as he pointed straight ahead. All three teens looked to see a fairly large slab of land just ahead, with this, a large smile broke free across Aang's face. He then leaned over and pat the large bison's head in reassurance before he spoke.
"Look, Appa, a place to rest," Aang said happily. Little did he, or the two sitting next to him, know that reaching that island would take longer than they expected.
"Yeah, in like what, an hour," Sokka complained loudly as he plopped down on his back, Aang turned and gave him a look and with this, Sokka gaped, "What?!"
"All you've been doing since a few hours ago is complaining! Appa is doing his best, it's not every day he breaks one of his legs...actually, he's never broken anything, I don't think..." Aang pondered before he returned his hateful gaze to the boy laying next to him, "Just be thankful we have Appa, you remember what happened in Ba Sing Se,"
"NO don't remind me!" Sokka said loudly as he placed his hands over his face, "That Joo Dee chick was WAY too-"
"That's not what he's talking about, Sokka," Katara interrupted, getting annoyed, Aang shook his head with frustration.
"This is the same problem we had with Toph, Appa's carrying your weight and you're not even thankful that he can still get us places with a broken leg," Aang said loudly
"Like I said! He has five other ones!" Sokka hollered as he sat up, Aang jumped slightly before he tensed up.
"-but if something happens to one of his six legs, it throws him off! He's not in balance anymore! Not to mention it probably hurts more than anything does! Since when have you stopped caring about Appa?!" Aang yelled before he could feel Katara's gentle hand fall upon his shoulder.
"Guys, calm down, we're getting closer to the island, we can just cool off when we get there, there's no need in yelling at eachother all for something that was my fault..." Katara said softly before she turned and looked away. Both boys instantly turned and stared at Katara with bewildered looks on their faces.
"What? You didn't break Appa's leg, he fell through the dome, you saw it and everything," Aang said softly, Katara shook her head.
"It-it's my fault I even wandered into the dome...If I wouldn't have bothered to follow that one noise I heard that was coming from the Bird Cage, you two wouldn't have followed me...and we wouldn't have gotten lost inside of it, therefore having to call Appa, yada yada," Katara said as she waved one hand in the air.
"It's no ones fault, Appa was just...A little bit clumsy, and I have to admit, I think I blew the bison whistle one too many times...I think it aggravated him," Aang said softly as he gazed down at his lap, Sokka nodded in agreement.
"Yep, you two are to blame," Sokka said plainly, Katara tensed and turned around.
"Sokka!" Katara said loudly, Sokka shrugged.
"What?! If you haven't noticed, I haven't done anything to cause any of this, it's this whole Vyntresser mess you're in! It's causing all sorts of problems for us not to mention for YOU," Sokka yelled, Katara gaped.
"That's not my doing!" Katara yelled back, shoulders tensed.
"Oh yeah, that's right! It's Aang's fault!" Sokka hollered, causing a large frown to appear across Aang's face, Katara shook her head.
"Stop blaming people, Sokka! This isn't Aang's fault and you're--" Katara was cut off when suddenly, Appa jerked forward slightly. The three teens peered out to their surroundings to find that Appa had swam all the way to the far off island and had swam up to the sandy beach. Katara could see Sokka smirk in the corner of her eye as he quickly hopped off of Appa and trudged up the sandy beach over to a few palm trees.
"Where are you going?!" Katara hollered as she quickly got off of Appa in an unhappy manner, Aang just sighed.
"I'm trying to find a place to set up camp, do you MIND?!" Sokka yelled as Aang slowly slid down Appa's head and stood in front of him, both face to face. He stared into Appa's big, brown eyes as he could still hear the two behind him argue. Aang gently placed one hand on Appa's nose.
"It'll be okay, buddy," Aang said softly as he gently caressed his hand around the soft skin of Appa's large, moist nose. Appa groaned in pain and slowly closed his eyes as he let his head fall on the sand. Aang frowned before he glanced at Appa's right, forearm. You couldn't really tell that he had done damage to it, but his large toes were swollen. Aang grit his teeth and made his way over to the wound, hoping to find some way to sooth it. Within seconds, Aang slowly reached his hand out and ever so lightly touched Appa's leg, causing Appa to tense up immediately and let out a disgruntled groan, Aang frowned and pulled his hand away, not looking to cause his bison anymore pain.
"This isn't Aang's fault, Sokka!" Katara hollered. Aang perked up at the sound of his name and he slowly made his way over to the two teens arguing their heads off.
"Yes it is! When it all comes down to it, this is all Aang's fault!" Sokka yelled as he pointed to the young monk innocently placed next to Katara.
"My fault?" Aang questioned with a frown as Momo made his way off of Appa's head and onto Aang's shoulder.
"Yes, YOUR fault! If it weren't for Aang and his strange infatuation with you, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Sokka said loudly, Katara gaped.
"What are you talking about! He has nothing to do with this!" Katara yelled as she stood in front of Aang, almost in a protective manner.
"Don't play dumb, Katara, you know very well what I'm talking about!" Sokka said loudly as he gradually made his way over to the two, "He's turning you into the Vyntresser, he's causing you problems! He's letting your body morph into animals, and if it weren't for that STUPID lover's festival, he wouldn't have kissed you! We would never had stopped at that one island, you would've never wandered into the bird cage, therefore getting us lost inside of it, we wouldn't have followed you, and Appa wouldn't have had to bust us out of it and break his leg in the process!" Sokka took a deep breath and glared at the young monk trembling behind Katara, "This is YOUR entire fault!!"
All was deathly silent; Aang stared at Sokka in utter confusion, disappointment and above all, sadness. He shook in his spot as he could feel Sokka's death glare become stronger and stronger. Aang frowned and slowly averted his gaze to the sand below him; he could hear Momo quietly begin to murmur in his little language, picking up the angry vibes of the fight and within seconds, Momo began to nuzzle his nose against Aang's ear and cheek. After a few moments, Aang gently shooed Momo off of his shoulder and began to walk away, towards the palm tree forest before them. As he walked, he kept his eyes glued to Sokka, as if he were scared Sokka would lash out and attack when Aang's back was turned.
Nothing happened, though, Aang kept a steady, harsh pace headed straight to the leafage, his eyes still locked in a glare onto Sokka's. All was silent until Aang began to push past leaves and branches harshly; he in time took his eyes away from Sokka and disappeared into the forest to who knows where.
"Aang, come back, Sokka didn't..." Katara stopped herself, knowing for a fact Aang couldn't hear her anymore. Katara frowned but quickly looked at Sokka with an angry look on her face. She then quickly turned away from Sokka and made her way over to the large bison still slightly lying in the waves of the water. She slowly approached him and instantly began to pet his large nose, in hopes of comforting him. Appa groaned and opened his eyes, having heard enough of the three teens yelling at eachother.
Katara continued to comfort Appa in hopes of avoiding Sokka but it was impossible, she could hear Sokka's footsteps gradually make his way over to his sister and the bison.
"Katara," Sokka started, surprisingly in a soft tone, he sighed softly before continuing, "Katara I--"
"Shut up. Just shut up," Katara snapped with a hateful glare, Sokka frowned and glanced at Appa who laid with his eyes closed, Katara continued to comfort him by petting his big nose.
"Katara," Sokka started again, "Aang's--"
"Completely innocent," Katara said loudly as she stepped away from Appa, "So what if he's doing this to me, so what if I'm the Vyntresser, so WHAT if I turn into an animal after we kiss, I love him, Sokka, I love him more than you could imagine!" Katara yelled angrily as she motioned to herself in a desperate attempt of getting the point across, Sokka stared at his sister with a frown.
"This whole animal thing will only happen three more times, Sokka, this is none of his wrong-doings," Katara continued, "So what each kiss results in something totally new the next day, this has nothing to do with Appa's injury! We're all family Sokka, you, me, Aang, even Momo, Kaimah and Appa, when someone's hurt or in trouble, we all come together to get through it," Katara stopped for a moment and stared at Sokka with a frown, "-and you're not helping! You're making this whole situation worse by taking out your bad mood on others! We should all be more than concerned about Appa right now, do you see how much he does for us?!" With this, Sokka slowly averted his gaze to the bison still sat in the cold ocean water, looking as tired as ever. He let out a soft noise as best as he could before he gingerly shifted his feet.
"You have no right to go blaming Aang for something harmless he's doing," Katara said softly as she untensed slightly, Sokka stared at the sand below him, his arms crossed and a small frown etched across his face. Katara slowly began to step closer to Sokka in a caring manner; she heaved a long sigh before she spoke up again, "Sokka, what is it? You've been acting so strange lately," Katara soothed softly, although she still felt a little mad at him. Sokka shook his head and looked about before looking his sister square in the eyes.
"I-I guess I'm just a little..." Sokka stopped what he was saying and hung his head low, he let his hands fall by his sides.
"Impatient? Annoyed?" Katara listed, feeling as if she nailed every single one of his emotions, she continued, "Jealous?" With this, Sokka looked up at her and frowned, his blue eyes big with sadness; Katara slowly shook her head.
"I don't understand, Sokka," Katara said softly before Sokka heaved a long sigh and slowly paced around the area the three were in.
"I don't think you will ever understand," Sokka said after a few moments of silence, Katara cocked her head before Sokka continued, "I just...if you haven't noticed, I haven't..." Sokka stopped and heaved a soft sigh, "I haven't been too lucky with finding love for myself, Katara," Sokka said softly, he then slowly began to trudge up the sand beach to higher ground. Katara instantly followed.
"What are you talking about, Sokka? There was Suki, Yue, there was even a point in time when I could've sworn you and Toph would hook up," Katara said as she approached her brother, he quickly looked at her with a bewildered look.
"What?" Sokka questioned, Katara shook her head.
"N-nevermind," Katara said quickly, Sokka gave her a look, "Sokka, what about Kiari?"
"What ABOUT her?" Sokka said softly as he gazed out to the ocean surrounding them.
"I thought that was the reason we were headed to our homeland anyway, you wanted to see Kiari..." Katara questioned softly, Sokka nodded slowly before Katara stepped away from Sokka and over to Appa. Sokka watched her attentively as she climbed onto Appa's saddle. Within a few minutes, she returned her spot next to Sokka, map in hand.
"See look," Katara said softly as she began to un-ravel her map, "We're right here," Katara pointed to some stray islands near the southern airtemple before she slowly slid her finger down to the southern watertribe, "We're headed here, it'll only take about another few days, a week tops, depends on how often we stop, and with the condition Appa's in, we could be stopping every few hours," Katara said warily as she glanced at the bison over her shoulder. Sokka nodded before Katara continued, "I don't see the need to be jealous, Sokka... You get to see Kiari and soon enough, you'll forget all about Aang and I," Katara said with a small laugh, Sokka chuckled and looked at the sand.
"Nah, I love teasing you guys," Sokka smiled, Katara shook her head before she rolled up her map and held onto it, Sokka heaved a long sigh and looked up at Katara with a frown, "Sorry,"
"For what?" Katara teased, already knowing the answer, Sokka rolled his eyes with a small laugh, "Come on, sorry for what?"
"For being rude," Sokka said softly, Katara crossed her arms.
"-AND," Sokka stared at her for a moment before Katara continued, "-and blaming Aang," Katara said with a smile before she quickly looked about the forest behind Sokka, she instantly frowned.
"Yes, for blaming Aang," Sokka said softly, "Speaking of which," Sokka said as he looked up at Katara.
"We need to go find him," Katara said, slightly worried before she slowly began to head towards the forest; Sokka stopped her with a small laugh.
"Katara, he'll be fine, he'll come back," Sokka smiled before he averted his gaze to Appa, who was still letting the cold ocean waves lap over his soggy fur, "Right now, we should probably go get Appa out of the water," Katara turned around and nodded slowly.
"You're right."
After a good half an hour of pulling, pushing and some waterbending, Appa was up on higher grounds, away from the cold ocean shore. Katara and Sokka took time to clean Appa's fur of stray seaweed clumps and anything else. They then let him sit in the calm afternoon sun to dry and warm up. Katara sat by Appa's wounded leg, desperately attempting to heal it with her waterbending, but nothing seemed to work. Sokka sat on Appa's head, staring at the large map of the world they had.
"So, how is it coming," Sokka said after a good ten minutes of silence between the two, Appa groaned softly, Katara just sighed.
"Not good, his leg is too big, I don't think my healing powers are strong enough," Katara said as she wiped sweat from her forehead using a small cloth that she had with her. After a few moments, Sokka slowly made his way off of Appa's head and over to Katara.
"You've done all you can, Katara..." Sokka said with a frown before he smiled and looked around, "You-you just relax, I'll make dinner," Sokka smiled as he helped Katara up, she smiled at him gratefully.
"Thanks," Katara said softly before closing her canteen and hoisting herself up onto Appa's head. There, Momo greeted her with a kind chirp; he then hopped from the spot he was sitting to Katara's shoulder. Katara just smiled and made her way to Appa's saddle. She sat down and made herself comfortable, as did Momo. She happily slipped her shoes off and snuggled into the warmth of her parka before averting her gaze to the winged lemur next to her. She reached out and pet him with a smile before something to the left of him caught her eye.
Katara looked in that direction to see none other than Aang's glider. It sat, being of no use at the moment, it's pretty light brown wood shone with the soft, diminishing sunlight. Katara beamed and stared at it for a moment. She thought back to all those times Aang had used his glider but not once did she ever get to use it, let alone open it and admire the beauty of a hundred-year-old antique. Katara felt her curiousness instantly sky rocket and with that, a big smile spread across her face.
She reached out further past Momo and gently took hold of Aang's glider; she brought it to herself with much care, knowing how much Aang prized his possessions, especially one this old. She fingered the soft wood for a second before she began to search for a way to open it. She, in time, found a small lever near one of the larger parts of the glider, she gently pressed it and the glider instantly opened up, revealing the beautiful red kite-like material that helped Aang fly. She smiled with much enthusiasm and success as she now began to inspect the delicate instrument.
She fingered the soft red material for a few moments; Momo joined her and gently pawed the end of the glider. Katara smiled but then suddenly wondered why she had so suddenly became so interested and enthralled be the glider. She never, in the past, would think to open up Aang's glider just to look at it. Katara pondered her thoughts for a moment, that is until Sokka broke the calm silence and made himself present on Appa's saddle. He joined the two, who were fiddling with Aang's glider. Sokka stopped himself once he noticed Aang's glider, open and not being used. He stared at his sister for a moment of confusion before Katara quickly closed Aang's glider and set it next to her.
"So," Katara said softly before she rubbed the back of her head, "Wh-what's for dinner, Sokka?"
"Uhh.. One of mom's soup recipes," Sokka said slowly as he handed Katara a bowl filled with hot soup, Katara smiled and gratefully took it from him as Sokka sat down next to her, "What were you doing with Aang's glider?" Sokka questioned with a small laugh as he handed Momo a few nuts, Katara tensed slightly.
"Nothing, I was just looking," Katara said as she quickly took a bite of the soup she held in the bowl, Sokka chuckled slightly.
"Why the sudden curiosity?" Sokka asked, Katara looked up at him after a moment.
"I don't know, really," Katara said softly, feeling a bit overwhelmed, Sokka smiled and began eating his soup, "What's so funny?" Katara asked, in a slight whining tone.
"Since when have you been interested in flying?" Sokka questioned, Katara continued to eat and ponder, not really knowing when it started to happen.
"I-I haven't really..." Katara said softly, Sokka stared at her for a moment, "Okay okay, I-I just think it'd be cool to fly, you know? Aang's so lucky that he has that opportunity anytime he wants to. Anytime he feels as if he needs to...get away, all he has to do is grab his glider and he's free," Katara explained, "I just think it'd be cool."
"Actually, it's kind of scary," Sokka laughed; Katara looked at him in a confused way.
"What? You've used his glider?" Katara questioned.
"Well, not exactly, Aang and I had to ride it together one time...I don't remember why, but I know because we were in a hurry and there was no time for walking," Sokka laughed, Katara frowned and took a bite of her hot soup.
"Lucky," Katara mumbled, Sokka stared at her with a smile.
"Well, if you're so jealous, you should just ask him to give you a ride on it, I'm sure he'd be more than happy, Katara," Sokka smiled, Katara glanced at him.
"I-I don't know, I've ridden with Aang before but not exactly with him...I always just hold onto the end, you know? I've never really...flown WITH him," Katara said, feeling her face heat up slightly as a small smile slowly made it's way across her face, "Would he really want someone flying with him? Would it be trouble for him? Would he get annoyed of someone holding onto his glider, just weighing him down? Would he--"
"Katara," Sokka interrupted with a small laugh, "If I know Aang like I do, he'd be more than happy to have you with him," Sokka smiled, Katara just sighed and looked down slowly before Sokka continued, "-And you don't hold onto the glider, you hold onto Aang himself," With this, Katara quickly looked up, a deep blush quickly forming across her cheeks.
"Y-yeah, I know...but how?" Katara stuttered softly, Sokka laughed.
"You'll see," Sokka smiled, "Just ask him, you know, when he comes back, I'm positive, he'll be more than happy to let you fly with him,"
"I-I don't know..." Katara said softly before she took a good look around, "Speaking of Aang, where is he?"
"Good question," Sokka said as he finished his soup and stood, "Do you want me to get you seconds?" Sokka questioned, Katara shook her head but handed Sokka her bowl anyway.
"No, I'm going to go look for Aang, if that's alright...I'm starting to get worried," Katara said softly with a frown as she stood. Sokka nodded with a smile.
"Alright," he said before making his way off of Appa's saddle, "Don't get lost," Sokka called from the fire he had made to cook the soup, Katara chuckled softly.
"I won't," Katara smiled as she quickly hopped off of Appa's saddle and into the forest behind their campsite.
She slowly trudged through thick trees and whatnot, loving the smell that the beautiful palm trees gave off, hearing the sounds of the crickets slowly move their way into the calming presence of the night, and the way the cool air felt against her skin. She had missed the cold weather, and now that they were further down south, she began to feel the excitement of seeing snow again sometime soon.
She continued to happily think and stroll until she looked down by her side only to find that she had forgotten to put Aang's glider down before she left. Katara stopped in her tracks quickly and glanced about before she stared at Aang's glider, she held it up so she could see it better through the dim light and just as she was about to turn around and head back towards camp, she hesitated, feeling a small smile etch across her face. She stopped herself from turning around and grinned big before she set out in the direction she was already headed, a feeling of confidence suddenly sweeping through her.
- - -
Sokka slowly made his way onto Appa's saddle, holding another bowl full of his mother's soup. Just as he was about to sit down, he noticed something was missing. Sokka stood for a moment and named all the things on Appa's saddle, feeling confused.
"Momo," Sokka said softly to himself, noticing Momo curled up in a ball, snoozing the late afternoon away, Sokka continued, "Kaimah," he said softly, noticing the small cub bat at a lone firefly straying above Appa's saddle.
"Hmm," Sokka pondered as he sat down and began to eat his dinner, he then quickly glanced about, "Aang's glider," he breathed with a small smile, She took his glider? Sokka questioned in his mind with a small smile, he then shook his head and chuckled softly.
- - -
Katara heaved a long sigh, wondering why the small dirt path she was following was getting steeper and bumpier. She slowly turned around, only to find that she was climbing the face of the mountain, she could see for miles and the cold ocean sat calmly below her. Katara gaped slightly, eyes wide as she could feel a strange sensation in her stomach. Her fear of heights quickly kicked in to the point where she had to force herself to look away.
"What am I doing, what am I doing, what am I DOING, go back down Katara, what am I doing," Katara stuttered to herself, hating the thought of taking a wrong step and slipping or worse, falling. Katara took a deep breath and slowly gazed about, wondering where Aang was. The sun had almost gone down and she felt as if she had been looking for him for a good hour now.
"He wouldn't have climbed this mountain, would he?" Katara questioned herself softly before peering up further to see a fairly large cliff a bit aways, and sure enough, there sat Aang, gazing off of the cliff, staring into the nothingness of the never-ending sky. Katara's shoulders slumped slightly as she heaved a long sigh, she squinted through the dim light, just t make sure that that little yellow and red speck a bit aways was Aang. She smiled once she saw him move slightly and continued on her way up the trail of the mountain Aang had climbed earlier.
"I wish I could airbend," Katara said softly as she stared down at Aang's glider she was holding. She slowly trudged along the dirt road with a small smile; feeling relieved that she had found Aang before the sun fully went down.
About ten minutes had gone by and Katara was almost to the cliff Aang was sat on. She smiled in her success and slowly hoisted herself up onto the large slab of rock where Aang sat. She heaved a long, quite sigh and slowly set Aang's glider down, she then slowly headed over to him.
She stepped over to him cautiously; his back was facing her. Katara smiled softly and carefully got down on her knees behind Aang before gently giving him a loving, backwards hug. Katara was surprised to see Aang calmly remain in his spot, as if he knew she was coming all along. She gently tightened her embrace around him before leaning close to his ear.
"You okay?" she questioned in a soft whisper, he sighed softly and looked down as Katara slowly released Aang, she took a seat next to him with a small frown. The two were in a calm silence; Aang gazed out to the world below with a frown, his brilliant eyes scanning his surroundings slowly. The calm wind gently whirled his clothes as he sat, taking everything, around him, in.
"Maybe this isn't..." Aang started as he looked down at his lap with a frown, "Maybe this isn't such a good idea,"
"What isn't a good idea?" Katara questioned softly as she cocked her head and faced Aang, he looked up at her with a frown.
"Us...being together," Aang said sadly as he peered off the cliff. Katara stared at him, feeling her heart shatter completely into pieces. She gaped slightly, suddenly feeling her stomach do all sorts of painful twists and turns and with his words, she could instantly feel tears sting her eyes.
"What?" Katara questioned shakily, with this, Aang quickly looked up to see Katara's sad and hurt expressions. Aang instantly felt sorry for even saying anything.
"Well, I mean I-I..." Aang stopped and took a deep breath before letting it all out after a few seconds, "I don't know, Sokka didn't...seemed too pleased with...'us'" Aang said softly as he looked about, "and usually, when you love someone, you need the approval of their family members...I don't feel I'm getting much approval from Sokka..."
"You are, Aang, Sokka's just...going through rough times, him not being able to see Kiari and stuff," Katara said softly.
"I figured...but, it just makes me sad that whenever I'm near you or we hug or something, I instantly notice Sokka smirk, or roll his eyes, or walk away angrily...It's not something I'd expect, you know?" Aang asked quietly, "a-and the whole Vyntresser thing...I'm really sorry for putting you through this, I-I mean...I'll stop kissing you if you want but...I just feel really bad, I AM to blame for that, I'm causing this whole Vyntresser thing to show up anyway," Aang said softly as he looked at Katara with a frown, Katara stared at him for a moment.
"We already had this talk, Aang, I know this whole Vyntresser thing is happening because of you but...to tell you the truth, I kind of like it," Katara said with a bashful smile as she could feel her face heat up, she then quickly continued, " Sokka and I were talking after you left and...He told me he was sorry for blaming you, he felt kinda bad...I knocked some sense into him," Katara said with a small laugh, Aang joined in on her laughter for a moment before he heaved a long sigh and looked about.
"So...he doesn't disapprove of me, or anything like that? Because he seemed pretty angry at me when I left," Aang said softly, Katara shook her head.
"Nah, he's just been in a bad mood lately...I think he's disappointed at how slowly we're making our way over to the South Pole... he also told me that he was a little jealous of us," Katara said with a smile, Aang looked up at her, a bewildered look on his face.
"What?" Aang questioned, Katara nodded.
"Yeah, he's jealous because...well, I guess because he doesn't have a girlfriend or something," Katara said with a small laugh, Aang, wide eyed, looked out to the sky before him.
"Sokka..." Aang started to himself, "Jealous of me?" he chuckled, "That's weird to think,"
"Yeah, I thought so too," Katara smiled, "So...we're still cool and everything?" Katara questioned as she stood up, she stared down at the young monk with a smile as she put one hand out to help him up, he smiled and slipped his warm hand into hers before standing up before Katara. He smiled at her happily before nodding.
"We're cool," Aang smiled before Katara smiled big and quickly wrapped her arms around Aang's neck and shoulders. Aang let out a small laugh and returned the sweet hug. The two sat in each others arms for who knows how long; enjoying each others embrace and all was calm until Katara softly spoke.
"You scared me there, for a moment," Katara said ever so softly into Aang's ear, she could feel him gently tighten his firm grip around her.
"Why?" He questioned in a soft whisper. Katara slowly began to bury her warm nose and face into the side of Aang's neck and cheek.
"Well, when you said that...Us being together isn't a good idea," Katara said softly and somewhat sadly into Aang's ear, Aang frowned and hugged Katara a little closer before Katara continued, "I could never imagine that...I-I love you, Aang," she whispered sweetly, Aang could instantly feel his face heat up with her gentle voice and words, he smiled and took a deep breath.
"I love you too, Katara," Aang said with a smile as Katara slowly began to pull away from him, she gently took his hands in hers before Aang continued, "Sorry for worrying you like that,"
"It's alright," Katara smiled as she shook her head slightly, Aang beamed and slowly looked up to the evening sky, noticing the sun had started to go down and stars were beginning to dot the calm night sky.
"We should probably head back... it's getting dark and we don't want to lose the trail before the sun goes down completely," Aang smiled as he slowly let go of Katara's hand and began walking in the direction he and Katara came up. He stopped to see something familiar to him laying on the ground a little bit a ways from the two.
"Yeah, about...that..." Katara said with a bashful smile, she bit her bottom lip as Aang quickly retrieved his glider and looked at Katara in a baffled manner.
"Why did you bring my glider with you?" Aang questioned softly as he stared at Katara through the dim atmosphere, Katara slowly began to push the dirt below her around using her foot.
"Well...I-I was kind of wondering if..." Katara stuttered slighty, not feeling as if she had the courage to ask what she was about to ask.
"What? What were you wondering?" Aang asked, feeling anxious, Katara giggled softly and stepped closer to Aang.
"I-I don't know...if maybe you could...give me-give me a..." Katara stared at Aang for a second before she sighed loudly with a small laugh, "I-I was wondering if maybe you could give me...a ride on it," Katara said quickly, Aang stared at her with a smile for a second before looking about happily.
"Of course," He smiled big, "Good idea,"
"Really?" Katara perked up, Aang nodded.
"Yeah, here, do you want to open it?" Aang said with a smile as he handed Katara his glider. Katara just stared at him, scared to take it from him, she frowned, feeling slightly scared with handling one of Aang's prized possessions. This is why I never touch Sokka's boomerang… Katara thought with a small frown.
"You can do it, it's not that hard, see look," Aang said softly as he stepped close to Katara, "You just press that right there," Aang pointed before he attempted to hand Katara his glider once more, "Go on,"
"You sure?" Katara questioned warily as she ever so gently took Aang's glider.
"Yeah," Aang said with a small laugh, Katara then happily peered down to the glider, remembering how she opened it before she went in search for Aang. It opened up quickly, the pretty kite-like material never ceased to amaze Katara, she smiled happily as Aang gently took it from her.
"Okay, you ready?" Aang questioned with a smile, Katara suddenly felt her heart stop as Aang stepped closer to her. Katara slowly began to shake her head.
"Wh…" Katara started softly, Aang smiled.
"Oh come on, it's not that scary, you're the one that wanted the ride in the first place…Here, I'll show you what you need to do," Aang said with a smile as he held his glider out with his right hand and turned his back to Katara, he then continued, "Alright, now... just hold on to me," Aang said softly as he peered over his shoulder. Katara stared at him for a moment, feeling a bit overwhelmed and the feeling of 'second thoughts' instantly came to her mind. Katara shook off the feeling, knowing that she's just getting what she wanted and asked for.
Katara nervously stepped closer to Aang and gently wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and shoulders. Aang, suddenly began to laugh softly, Katara blushed furiously.
"What? What's so funny?" Katara questioned, feeling her face heat up even further.
"Well, you could have your grip there...but I highly suggest not to," Aang said softly with a smile, Katara grew tense.
"Why not?" Katara asked softly, feeling like an idiot already.
"Well, for one, it's not a very good grip, it won't keep you in place while we're in the air and two, when you think about it, gravity will end up forcing you to choke me," Aang said with a small laugh as Katara slowly undid her grip from around Aang's neck.
"Oh... okay, so where do I hold on exactly?" Katara questioned before Aang placed his left hand on his upper waist and pat that area.
"Right here," Aang smiled, feeling his heart thump like crazy. Katara's eyes widened as she slowly and gently slid her arms around his waist in a tender manner; she then held a firm grip around him as she pressed herself closer to him, loving his warmth and presence. She shivered slightly; she could feel the entire length of his body next to her. She gently gripped his shirt in an eager, yet nervous manner as she pressed herself closer to the young airbender she was latched onto.
"L-like that?" Katara questioned, Aang nodded.
"Perfect," he said cheerfully, hoping to make Katara feel better about the risky situation, "Now, hold on tight,"
"Aang I..." Katara stopped talking and took a soft, deep breath, "I'm kinda scared," she said quietly, feeling a bit embarrassed. Aang turned his head and smiled at her whole-heartidly.
"Don't be, I'm right here...the only thing I suggest is don't let go…No matter what," Aang smiled, Katara nodded and took a deep breath, feeling a little scared. The idea sounded great when she was on solid ground thinking about it but now that she was standing on the edge of a cliff, latched onto Aang like an elbow leech, she was beginning to have second thoughts, but she knew she couldn't turn back now. Aang slowly began to bend his knees in preparation for take off. Katara could feel her heart stop; she instantly closed her eyes and scrunched up before Aang spoke up loudly.
"Don't close your eyes!" Aang said with a small laugh as he relaxed from his bent position, Katara un-scrunched and opened her eyes quickly.
"S-sorry," Katara whimpered nervously before she grew confused, "Hey, how did you know my eyes were cl-"
"Just hold on tight, Katara, everything'll be fine," Aang said quickly with a smile, "So fine, you'll probably want to do it again," Katara nodded and re-adjusted her grip around Aang before he looked over his shoulder.
"You ready?" he questioned sweetly, Katara nodded quickly and forced herself to keep her eyes open as she could feel Aang slowly begin to bend his knees again. Katara tightened her grip around Aang, to the point of where she could've sworn he couldn't breathe any longer.
All was calm, that is until he shot into the air quickly, so quickly, Katara wasn't even sure that it happened. She gasped as Aang shot through the cool air, letting his element guide the two through the night. After a few seconds, he slowed down a bit, to a relatively normal speed Katara was comfortable with. She instantly smiled and looked about, never feeling so free in her life. Katara was fine, that is until she looked down. She whimpered slightly and tightened her grip around Aang's waist; feeling overwhelmed and dizzy all of the sudden.
"What's the matter now?" Aang questioned with a small laugh, Katara laid her head on the back of Aang's shoulders. She attempted not to shut her eyes but she couldn't help it. She grit her teeth in fear and let her eyelids fall.
"I-I'm a little scared of heights," Katara said softly, Aang began to laugh.
"Now you tell me," Aang said with a small chuckle, Katara opened her eyes and warily looked about, Aang continued, "It's nothing, just don't think about it, that was my fear when I first started using my glider...but don't worry, the feeling goes away quickly,"
"You sure?" Katara questioned, Aang nodded. Katara sighed softly and lifted her head slowly; she then let her eyes wander down. Nothing but vast ocean was underneath the two; it was to the point where Katara could've sworn she was looking at it from space. She felt as if Appa had never gone this high before and with that, she began to feel a feeling, a feeling of being almost special, and lucky. She knew only flying bison and airbenders were the only ones who could reach this height, Katara smiled and lovingly tightened her grip around Aang's waist.
Katara peered out to her vast surroundings, instantly enthralled about the way the now disappearing sun played beautiful light displays on the black ocean underneath, the way it lit distant clouds with beautiful oranges, pinks and purples, Katara could bet that nothing was more beautiful than seeing a sunset from such a distance in the air, on an airbenders glider. She could instantly feel her heart go crazy as she pressed herself closer to the young Avatar under her, she leaned close to him and gave him a gentle smile before pressing her lips against the side of his soft, bald head in a tender manner.
Aang instantly blushed and turned his head slightly to look at her, she had a small, satisfied smile on her face and her expressions were written with joy. Aang smiled in return as he gently steered the glider they were riding; he did so with much grace in a perfect way as they flew away into the night.
A good ten minutes had gone by and Aang had gradually decreased in height, he slowly got close enough to the sandy beach to land. He gently let him and Katara fall to their feet, for her sake. Aang slowly closed his glider and held his staff in front of himself with a smile. He attempted to move but came to find that Katara wouldn't let him, her grip around his waist remained in it's loving position. Aang blushed slightly with a smile as he remained still, he sat in Katara's arms for moments on end, she then spoke up.
"That was amazing," Katara said softly, a little shaken up, but she felt as if it were in a good sense.
"Wasn't it?" Aang agreed with a smile, Katara nodded, "So...you think you might want to do that again sometime?" Katara gently let go of her grip around Aang as he slowly turned around to face her.
"Of course," Katara smiled as she stared at the young monk before her. He smiled at her as he stared into her eyes, loving the feeling of flying on his glider with the girl he loved most. Katara sighed happily and looked past Aang, to see Appa sound asleep in the sand, Sokka curled up, asleep, next to him in his sleeping bag, and a warm fire going. Katara gently took one of Aang's hands in hers and began to slowly walk towards camp.
"So, how come we haven't done that before now?" Katara questioned with a small laugh, Aang shrugged and gently gave Katara's hand an affectionate squeeze.
"I don't know, you never seemed to want to up until now," Aang smiled, "-and I also figured you didn't want to because of that one time we hang-glided with Tao...you seemed uneasy about it all,"
"Well yeah, I was controlling the thing all by myself...it wasn't a good experience but...that, what we just did...I'll never forget," Katara smiled as the two reached Appa and Sokka. Katara slowly faced Aang and took both of his hands in hers, "Thank you so much," Aang smiled a sweet smile and stared into her eyes lovingly.
"Anytime," Aang smiled, hoping she'd ask to go gliding with him again sometime soon. Katara stared at Aang for a moment; she looked as if she were debating on something. Aang continued to stare at Katara with a smile before she gently tightened her grip on his warm hands and leaned closer to Aang; she then gave him a small, tender kiss on the lips. After a small moment, she pulled away, eyes shining like the stars above. She instantly smiled and gave Aang one last goodnight hug. Aang returned the sweet hug, feeling his heart inside his chest pound like crazy, he could also bet that his face couldn't get any more red. After a few moments, Katara pulled away from him and slowly began to make her way over to Appa.
"Goodnight, Aang," Katara said with a small, bashful smile. Aang waved, dazed somewhat.
"Goodnight," he replied sweetly as Katara slowly made her way onto Appa's saddle for the night. Aang sighed long and happy as he slowly walked over to where Sokka was laid in his sleeping bag, and to where the warm fire was. He instantly plopped down on the sand and stared up at the star-drenched heavens above. He sighed with all the joy in the world, that is until someone broke his silence.
"Goodnight loverboy," Sokka chanted in singsong teasingly, Aang quickly turned to see Sokka playfully laughing at him, Aang chuckled slightly with a smile of embarrassment before he sighed softly and shook his head.
"Goodnight, Sokka," Aang said in a slightly annoyed tone, Sokka just laughed with a small smile and went back to sleep. Aang giggled softly and rested on his back. He closed his eyes and flooded his mind with the event that had just taken place.
Katara sighed more than happily and slowly unraveled a blanket from the back of Appa's saddle, she then quickly made herself comfortable in the cold night air, Kaimah even joined her for warmth. Katara cuddled with the small cub before sighing happily and gazing about the night sky. She smiled happily and closed her eyes; she shivered slightly, in a good sense. The feeling of flying still stuck to her very being, and with that, she felt as if she needed to wake Aang up to ask for another ride on the glider. She hesitated, though, she figured that there was always tomorrow to do things like that, to soar with the airbender she had come to know and love.
She took a deep breath and let it out, slowly, taking in the cool night air, the thought of other opportunities to repeat what her and Aang had just done made her feel more than happy, and with her good thoughts, her heart began to go crazy inside of her. She knew Aang would be more than happy to take her on his glider once more, Katara never refused the chance to fly, and even more so, she never refused the chance to fly with Aang on red wings.
A/N: I loved writing this, and surprisingly… It only took me two days! Talk about a miracle.
Usually it takes me about two weeks, three tops...I'm really proud of myself right now haha, but yeah...tell me what you all thought of this chapter ! I'd really appreciate the feedback. Please R&R! No flames.
Stick around! The next chapter should be interesting… and hopefully suspenseful :o…but what else is new…
-Katara-
Mohalo ;)
