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The sound of rustling branches and leaves in response to the warm summer breeze was the only thing Katara heard as she stared blankly at the bedroom ceiling, awaiting sleep to come. The gang was staying at the Ember Island beach house for the time being. They needed to attend several upcoming important meetings dealing with a fire nation rebellion. However, to Katara's displeasure, they just had to stay during the summer…in the fire nation. She knew temperatures could reach to 110 degrees, not at all like the Southern Water Tribe, where it was always cool and comfortable.
The sixteen-year-old flipped onto her side in order to find a better position to achieve sleep in this uncomfortably hot weather. After a few minutes, the waterbender kicked off her blanket and sat up, wiping the sweat off of her face.
"It's no use. I guess I'll be up all night." She thought, sighing. Katara swung her feet over to the side of the bed and got up, making her way to her bedroom window, which overlooked Ember Island Beach. She watched the smooth waves make their way towards the beach against a glossy, blue, night sky. She took sight of the glowing waxing gibbous and the even sand all over the shore until something caught her eye. It was the sitting figure of a person with a perfectly round, boyish head. Katara caught herself smiling.
"Guess Aang will have some company." She thought, making her way out of her bedroom, down the stairs and out the door. She could feel the sea breeze against her skin as she make her way up to the boy sitting in the sand, his eyes fixed on the waves of the ocean.
"Hey," Katara said, startling the boy.
"Oh, hey." Aang said as Katara seated herself down on the sand next to him.
"Can't sleep either?" The girl asked. Aang shook his head.
"This whole fire nation rebellion thing is making me tense." He confessed.
"Oh. For me, it's the heat." Katara said, once again wiping the sweat off her forehead. Aang turned to face the ocean again.
"It's relaxing being out here; just listening to the ocean and being alone…it's like a nice, undisturbed silence." The Avatar explained. Katara nodded.
"If I'm disturbing you, I can leave if you want." Katara offered.
"No! Don't leave. It's…nicer out here with you." Aang confessed. Katara smiled.
"Okay." She replied. A few seconds passed before one of them spoke.
"How did you know I was here?" Aang asked her. Katara shrugged.
"I couldn't sleep so I looked out my window and I saw a bald headed person, so I guessed it was you." She said, smiling.
"Yup, that's me." Aang agreed.
"You know…you should grow your hair out once more. It looks good on you." Katara pointed out. Aang raised an eyebrow.
"That or I could grow a beard. " Aang said, smiling as Katara laughed.
"I'm serious! I want to have a beard when I get older." He said, laughing.
"Why a beard?" She questioned. Aang shrugged.
"All the other guys will have facial hair when I grow up…and since I won't have hair on my head, why not a beard?" Aang explained.
"What about a mustache?" Katara pointed out. Aang raised an eyebrow.
"Can you imagine me in a mustache?" Aang teasingly asked. Katara laughed as the picture came to her head.
"Okay, never mind." Katara giggled. Silence settled in between the two once again.
"The moon is bright tonight." Katara pointed out as Aang turned his face up towards the moon. Then, his eyes dropped.
"Yeah." He said in a somber voice. Katara took notice of his expression.
"What's wrong?" She asked. Aang shook his head.
"The moon… Yue…it just reminds me of all the people who sacrificed themselves for my mistakes. It's just so frustrating and makes me question being the Avatar…a lot…" Aang sat up to hug his knees. Katara sighed.
"Aang—"
"I have this whole rebellion thing on my hands and it feels like I have to face problem after problem being the Avatar. I'm just fourteen years old! When will it stop?" Aang complained, turning to ask Katara the unanswerable question. Katara took in the Avatar's hopeless expression and then looked down at the smooth sand.
"It will never stop for you, Aang. You're the Avatar. You'll have problems and you'll have to face them. You have the right to a happy life as much as anyone else, but you also have the responsibility of the world on your shoulders. It's tough, but you have to remember that you are never alone. You have all of us right behind you…you have me." The waterbender explained, taking his hand in hers. Aang's eyes drooped once again.
"Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like not to be the Avatar…just Aang. I wonder if it would affect the way some people look at me…the way you look at me…" Aang somberly voiced his thoughts while tracing the cool sand with his finger. Katara's mouth dropped open in disbelief that he would say or think such a thing.
"Aang, I don't care if you're the Avatar or not. To me, you are Aang; an incredibly talented, charming, wise, funny, and caring boy and being the Avatar has nothing to do with it. I wouldn't think any less of you." Katara encouraged him as his eyes met hers.
"You really think so?" He childishly asked.
"Of course." The waterbender assured, leaning and placing a kiss on the boy's forehead.
"Thanks, Katara." He replied, blushing.
"Come on. I know what will make you feel better." Katara told him, getting up from the sand.
"What is it?" He curiously asked, airbending himself up. She simply smiled and took his hand, leading him towards the water.
When they stopped right before the cool waves touched their feet, Aang turned to Katara and raised his eyebrow. Katara simply removed her water tribe tunic and pants, revealing only her bindings. Then, she leaped into the ocean water and began swimming, splashing the water with her kicks. After a few seconds, she halted and turned around to observe the Avatar, who was simply watching her.
"Well, don't just stand there! Come on in!" She called out, smiling. Aang blinked and shook his head, as if coming out of a trance. He removed his air nomad clothing and baggy pants, threw them off to the side, and leaped into the water as well, making his way to the waterbender.
"Why here?" He asked, curiously as he reached her. Katara shrugged.
"So I can do this." She informed before bending a tunnel of ocean water right at his face with a flick of her wrist. The airbender was knocked backwards and was dunked under the water. He emerged, shaking the water off his face, and fixing his eyes on the waterbender.
"I'm going to get you for that." He warned, shooting himself towards the girl with advanced waterbending. She giggled and turned around and propelled herself away from the Avatar.
"You can't catch me with waterbending. I am your master, young pupil, so I know all of your tricks." Katara mocked in a safe distance away from Aang. The airbender narrowed his eyes and shot a huge blast of air and water behind him, rocketing himself towards a surprised Katara. He gripped her wrists before she could get away.
"Looks like I've caught you." He playfully smirked. Katara rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, but that was cheating." She smiled.
"It isn't cheating if you're the avatar." He stated, bringing her closer.
"Fine then, Avatar. You win. So what's my punishment for dunking your almighty avatar head in the water?" Katara joked.
"You can kiss me," He said softly.
"Not much of a punishment, but I'll take it." Katara replied as the two leaned in until their lips met. Aang's hands released Katara's wrists, holding on to her waist instead as Katara's arms slowly made their way around his neck. The two cherished this moment; being under the moon on a beautiful night in the arms of the one they love. After a few moments, they pulled back.
"You're right. This did cheer me up." Aang replied, grinning.
"We should probably get back to shore before a huge tide kicks up or something." Katara warned, not realizing how far they were from the beach.
"You're right. Let's go." Aang said. The two benders swam/waterbended their way to shore. When they washed up on the sand, Aang dried the two off with quick airbending before retrieving their clothes.
"Thanks for making me feel better, Katara. It's seems like you're learning how to have more fun than I am." Aang laughed, putting on his clothes.
"I didn't see that usual adorable smile on your face, so I decided to help you." Katara smiled, dusting the sand off of her water tribe tunic.
"We should probably get some sleep. I feel tired after all that splashing around in the water." Aang said, yawning.
"Oh yeah…sleep. I don't think I can get any of it with this horrible heat." Katara stated as the two started making their way inside the house. They climbed the stairs and stopped before Katara's bedroom door with Aang's across the hall.
"If the heat is bothering you, I know a cool airbending trick that makes my body cooler." Aang informed.
"Really?" Katara asked. This explains how he was able to sleep in the hottest or coldest weathers. He probably just adjusts his body temperature with airbending.
"Yeah but…"Aang began, nervously scratching the back of his neck. "You'll have to be touching me to share the same body temperature."
"Oh…that makes sense." Katara replied, sensing the awkwardness that was emerging between them.
"It's okay if you don't want to." Aang blurted out.
"No, no. It's okay. I'm okay with it. If you don't mind…" Katara told him.
"I don't mind." Aang answered quickly.
"Okay. Thanks, Aang." Katara replied, letting him into her bedroom. The two plopped down on the bed and turned sideways to face each other.
"Here." Aang said, opening his arms. Katara smiled as she moved into his arms as they closed around her.
"Wow. You're really cold." Katara said, surprised at his cool touch. Aang smiled.
"Just glad to help." He replied. Katara could already feel sleep coming to her eyes without the bothersome heat and better yet—in Aang's arms.
"Good night." She sleepily said.
"Good night." Aang replied. He kissed her forehead, causing a blush to creep through her cheeks.
At that point, she had realized that maybe the heat wasn't so bad after all.
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