A KATAANG FANFICTION: CHAPTER 10—
WEDDING

Katara's nerves were all twisted in knots. Her heart was fluttering and pounding like a caged bird. It was the morning of the wedding day, and she was already about to pass out. She paced around the living room anxiously, chewing her bottom lip and twisting a strand of her hair.

Toph sat on the floor a few feet away. Stretching, she said, "Relax, Sugar Queen. It's not like it's your wedding day or anything."

Katara shot Toph a look she couldn't see. "Toph, this is a serious thing." She wiped her clammy hands off on her shirt. "I'm just nervous."

Toph yawned. "I would help you out, but I've never been married, so it looks like you're on your own on this subject."

Katara was about to retort when she was suddenly swept into the air from behind. She gave out a small squeak, her heart rate4 spiking. She placed a hand over her chest as Aang's infectious laughter chimed in her ears. She landed with a gentle thud, and Aang whirled her around to face him. She smiled, swaying slightly.

"You're very pale," Aang commented cheerfully, "are you all right?"

"Oh, my heart is only trying to escape my ribcage, but I'm fine." Reaching up, she swept his hair to the side. "How are you this morning?"

Aang hopped up and down, full of bounding energy. "This is only the most exciting day of my life!" He laughed. "I'm absolutely WONDERFUL!" Taking both of her hands, he kissed her.

Katara gazed at him as they pulled apart. "Aren't you nervous?"

Aang didn't answer. He took her hand and placed it over his heart, and she felt it. It was beating insanely, thudding against her palm erratically with uneven, heavy pangs.

Sighing, Katara spread her fingers, extending further, feeling his heartbeats reverberate through her palm and out through her fingertips. "Stay still." She murmured, and placed her ear on his chest. Closing her eyes, she stayed there, listening to the staccato thumps that seemed to speak of life.

Aang slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. Together, they stood stationary, relaxing until Aang's pulse completely calmed down.

"As soon as you say something about tonight," he whispered, "it'll start again. Try it."

Katara thought for a moment, thinking of a question. "Did you order enough food for tonight?" she asked. Sure enough, his heartbeat leapt forward like a wild ostrich-horse.

Toph sneezed in the other room. "More importantly," she yelled, "please tell me there is going to be meat!"

Katara laughed. "Toph, Aang is probably the only vegetarian that is going to be attending." She patted his chest affectionately. "Plus, you forget that Sokka will be there. Meat will definitely be a factor, otherwise he wouldn't show up."

Aang grinned. "Speaking of Sokka, I need to wake him up. We're going to pick up some people.
Katara glanced up at him. "Who?"

Aang covered her mouth playfully. "You'll see. Probably not 'till tonight, though. Your dressers are going to be here in about an hour to take you."

"Take me?"

"To get you ready." He added, tapping her nose. "But first, I'm going to take you out for a very nice breakfast. Hurry, grab some shoes."

"Aang, I'm a mess!"

"No," he disagreed, brushing the back of his hand across her forehead. "You look absolutely beautiful, and I mean it."

"He's being truthful!" came Toph's bored voice form the floor. "Go on, Sugar Queen."

"Plus," Aang added thoughtfully, "this will be our last date as a 'together' couple. After tonight, we will be dating as a 'married' couple."

Katara cracked a smile, shaking her head. "All right . . . I'll be back in a minute." Turning, she whisked away purposefully. Aang watched her go with a loving expression on his face.

"So, Twinkletoes," Toph said, "how's it goin'?"

Aang slowly let himself turn toward Toph, reluctantly pushing Katara from his mind for a moment. "It's going excellent." He answered, running his fingers through his dark hair. Yawning, he stretched his hands over his head, grunting. "It all happened so fast . . ." he chuckled. "Seems like just yesterday we were trapped in the Cave of Two Lovers together."

A confused expression dawned on Toph's face. "And when was that?"

Aang sat down in the armchair. "Actually, it was right before we met you." He laughed. "We really could have used you in that cave."

"Why?"

"Because it wasn't really a cave . . . it was a labyrinth, a huge maze. We were confused and trapped, stuck with some singing nomads and a terrified Appa. You can imagine."

At that moment, Katara returned, hastily yanking her hair back into a long ponytail. "All right," she called, "I'm ready."

Aang jumped up, brushing himself off. "Excellent. Let's go!"

She nodded, smiling at his bubbling enthusiasm. She took his hand when he offered it to her. He pulled her to his side and began walking toward the door. "Don't' blow a hole in the wall, Toph." Katara said jokingly.

"I'll try to contain the urge." Toph answered, scratching her armpit.

Aang laughed. Arm in arm, him and Katara walked out the door.

*******************

It was a very nice morning. Aang took Katara for a walk through a gorgeous garden filled with multicolored butterflies that fluttered through the flowers majestically. Aang had bent down to pick a Panda Lily, which he wound through Katara's hair and rested against her ear. Afterward, he took her to The Food Palace, were Shen had prepared a fantastic breakfast for the both of them. Trays of bon-bons, bowls of steaming soup, platters of eggs, and many more delicacies were placed before them, and soon their stomachs were bulging.

When Aang had finally convinced a reluctant Shen to take payment, he took Katara and left with a cheerful goodbye.

When they got home, Sokka was waiting outside, looking disgruntled. "We've gotta go!" he yelled to Aang. "I'm going to saddle Appa. Hurry and fix your hair or something!" he hustled off to the giant barn.

Aang turned to Katara. "Your dressers should be here any minute." He murmured. A gentle, caring expression glowed in his gray eyes. "I'm not going to see you again until tonight."

Katara jumped forward, throwing her arms around his neck. "I know." She turned her head into the curve of his neck. "Can you believe it's here?"

Aang rubbed her back soothingly. "Yes."

They held each other for a moment, letting the fact that they were finally getting married settle in on their minds.

"Katara?" Aang asked after a moment.

"Hm?"

"I was just wondering . . . I have a pretty good idea why, but . . . Why did you always brush me off?"

Katara frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean . . . like when I kissed you right before the invasion. You got the weirdest look on your face. Or when I kissed you at the Ember Island play . . . You got really mad then. After the invasion, I really DID think that we would be together. But, we just went on like it had never happened. There were a lot of times that were similar to that, like the Cave of Two Lovers and when we danced at my secret party. I know that you said it was because we were in the middle of a war, but I can't help but feel like there was more to it."

Katara hesitated, taking in his complicated question. She thought about it for a few seconds, mulling over the possible answers. "I think . . ." she said slowly, "I think that I was afraid."

Aang made a confused face. "Of what?"

Katara blushed a deep red. "Being a distraction." The warm feeling of the flush rushed across her cheeks. "Of course, there were many times when I couldn't deny feeling something towards you, but I always managed to excuse it for 'brotherly love.' I was nervous. There were also a few times when I felt like I had encouraged you too much . . . The Cave of Two Lovers was one of them. So, I had to cut if off with acting like I didn't have feelings. I got so good at it that it became second nature to just brush you off. You took me completely by surprise before the invasion. It took me forever to decide what I felt." She paused, rolling the last sentence over in her mind. "But . . . I think I was mostly afraid of being in love . . . Especially with my best friend."

Suddenly, Katara was cut off by a yell from Sokka. "LOVERBOY! We have gotta go!"

Aang frowned, pulling away from Katara. "Coming!" he called back. Facing her once more, he said, "Sorry . . . I've really got to head." He took her face between his hands, pressing his forehead against hers. "Being in love with your best friend isn't that bad, is it?"

Katara smiled, laughing quietly. "No . . . not at all. You are still my best friend."

"And you are mine." Aang whispered, kissing her forehead. He traced his fingertips across her cheeks as he pulled away. Katara watched him go longingly as he jumped onto Appa's head. She heard him say "Yip, yip!" and Appa bellowed as he took off into the blue sky. She sighed, turning to walk back to the house. She had just made it to the front door when she heard Appa roar again. Facing the sky, her jaw dropped when she saw an immense message written in the clouds. It read: 'Baby, you're my forever girl.'

Katara smiled softly. "I love you too, Aang.

***************

Aang jumped sharply, letting out a small yelp. "Ow!" he gasped, massaging his shoulder. He had been stuck by an unwary seamstress, who bowed apologetically.

"So sorry." She muttered hastily. Pulling back the needle, she cut the long thread. Grunting, she then stood up, stepping back to admire her handiwork. She circled Aang, tweaking a cloth here and there. Finally, she clapped her hands together, smiling enthusiastically. "My finest work!" she declared. "You look very handsome, Avatar. Master Katara is a lucky girl." She leaned forward to pull a stray thread from his collar. "You are nervous, no?"

Aang inhaled deeply, running his fingers through his hair. Laughing, he held out his hand, which was quivering like a leaf. Clenching it into a fist, he answered, "I'm so nervous. I think I'm more nervous than when I faced Ozai!"

The seamstress, who was a kind old woman, sat down with a huff. She picked up the measuring tape and began winding it up in an expert fashion. "Avatar," she rumbled, "she is probably ten times more nervous than you. Just act natural, like you're enjoying a nice walk together. You'll be fine."

Aang forced his teeth to quit chattering. "I sure hope so."

**********************

Katara took a deep, long breath, drawing it in slowly. She tried to expel her nausea as she exhaled, clenching her jaw. Every single part of her was ready to collapse. Her hands were shaking, her legs were wobbling, and she just couldn't seem to focus on anything. She fumbled everything she tried to pick up, she stuttered when she spoke, and she had fallen on her face three times. She felt like a poorly built house, ready to keel over at any moment.

"Master Katara?" Came a voice from far away.

Katara turned her head slowly, facing her dresser. He was a tall man, balding and gray. "What . . . What is it?" she said faintly.

"You're done, my dear." He said happily. "Would you like to see the dress? You have to hurry, the procession starts in ten minutes."

Katara's stomach rolled over. "Ten minutes?" she choked. Shaking her head vigorously, careful not to disrupt her curled hair, she tried to clear her mind. "Yes . . ." she replied. "I want to see the dress." Stepping down from the stool, she carefully balanced herself in the shoes she was wearing. Walking smoothly, she stepped to the oblong mirror that dominated the wall in front of her.

It was absolutely beautiful.

In a way, it resembled the dress she had been wearing when she and Aang had first gotten together. The sleeves draped over her arms in careful folds, creating an astounding image of movement and grace. At the end, they were hemmed with the silkiest materiel Katara had ever felt and small Water Tribe insignia's decorated the tips with unchallenged beauty.

At her neck, the Engagement Necklace that Aang had made gleamed fantastically in the overhead lantern, flashing the Air Nomad/Water Tribe pendant impressively. It was followed by a silk collar that was about two inches below the leather strap of her necklace. The collar flowed flawlessly into the dress, which was magnificent to behold. Gorgeous patterns were embroidered into the silk belt that circled her waist. Flowing from the belt, the bottom half of her dress was an impressive white that flashed blue when turned in the light, similar to her engagement necklace.
At her collarbone, the dress made a V-neck shape, which flared out impressively at the collar.
All in all, the dress itself was a wonderful sight. Katara stood in awe at the mirror, turning this way and that, momentarily forgetting her stifling nerves.

"It's . . . Wow . . . I can't even . . ." she covered her mouth, smiling slightly. She twirled around like a small girl. Stopping, she turned to her dresser and bowed low. "Thank you, thank you!" she whispered. "It's perfect."

The dresser waved his hand modestly. "Master Katara, it was an honor to make this for you." He bowed to her, and then glanced outside the door. "And now, it will be my honor to escort you to your father." Standing, he offered her his arm.

Katara immediately turned to jell-o again. Shaking uncontrollably, she took his arm and walked with him, almost tripping a few times. She jittered and shook, trying to get herself under control.
After what seemed like a lifetime, she saw her father and almost fell into his arms. "Dad!" she gasped. "I'm going to kill myself, I'm so nervous!"

Hakoda laughed, thanking Katara's dresser. "Katara," he said, standing her up straight, "don't be."

"How did you feel when you married mom?" Katara demanded.

"A bit scared." Admitted Hakoda.

"Well," Katara said, "times that by a million. That's how nervous I am." She rubbed her eyes, wary of the makeup that decorated her eyelids.

Her father smiled affectionately. "Katara . . . You love Aang, right?"

Katara nodded instantly.

"And you want to be with him, right?"

Another nod.

"Then don't worry." Hakoda murmured. "You will be fine. All you have to do is say a few words and bow."

At that moment, a man cracked the door open and popped his head in. "Chief Hakoda!" he hissed. "It's time to get her out there!"

Hakoda nodded. "All right, Bato." Grasping Katara, he said, "I know you can do this. You helped him save the world. This should be minor compared to that."

Katara sighed, trying to calm down, which was nearly impossible since she was about to hyperventilate. "All right," she gasped, "I can do this." Straightening up, she regained some posture.

"I have to go, Katara." Hakoda whispered. "Go on, get out there! You'll be fine." He choked up, hugging his daughter. "Your mother is here, too." He muttered. "Make her proud. I'm sure you already have . . ." With that, Hakoda turned from Katara and left.

Katara watched him go, panic rising in her chest. She grasped her hands together, forcing the panic to back off.

"For Aang." She whispered. "Come on, Katara . . . You'll get to be with him forever. You can do this . . . do it for you . . . do it for Aang . . ." Steeling herself, she walked with strength to the door and waited for it to be opened. Carefully, she lowered the flower wreath onto her head and tucked the Panda Lily Aang had picked for her into her hair.

The doors opened.

Katara exhaled fiercely.

"For us." She murmured, and strode out into the glare of lights.

A loud rustle rippled throughout the entire courtyard as the massive body of people turned to watch her. Dead silence dropped like a blanket, filled with silent awe and amazement.
Katara almost lost it again, freezing at the beginning of the walkway. Her eyes flickered everywhere like a cornered animal. She was about to back away when she saw him.

Aang.

Her heart and conscious melted on the spot. He was standing at the end of the aisle, straight and true. He was gazing at her, an expression fiercely passionate and loving dominating his face. His hair swept to the side, not covering the arrow that was so carefully placed there in honor of his mastery.

His gray eyes gleamed and sparkled, so gently touched with the wisdom of his years. His lips twitched up into a small smile, and he stared adoringly into Katara's eyes. His confidence, trust, and love that he so felt for her was written all over his face. She watched as his mouth opened slightly and she saw him mouth the words: I love you.

Immediately, strength filled her every limb, and Katara strode forward with confidence and compassion, eager to reach Aang and his never-ending love. She felt the eyes staring her down, the crowd breathing in on her every move, but she ignored it. All she could see was HIS face.

It seemed a long time, but before she knew it, Katara was climbing the stairs to the boy she had been through everything with, the boy she had been destined to love since she caught him when he fell, the boy that was now a man. As his hand extended into her line of vision, she took it, not a second of hesitation misleading her movement. Their fingers interlaced, and it felt so perfect. His hands, which could kill at any given time, cradled hers with the gentleness of a newborn kitten.

He helped her ascend the stairs, which they stepped up together. Side-by-side, they were unbreakable. As they reached the top and turned toward each other, he kept hold of her, caressing her fingers with his thumbs and staring into the expanding blue that was Katara's eyes.

The crowd seemed to be holding its breath, beholding this historic spectacle.

Katara barely heard a word that the man marrying them said. It was all mush, but she didn't care. She followed the movement of his lips as Aang replied "Yes" to questions, followed the grace of his arm as he rose his hand.

Then, it was her turn. The words of the man barely registered in her mind, but she still answered the questions, and raised her hand when it was her turn.

Together, Katara and Aang performed the ceremonial bow, bending low to each other, showing their willingness to stay with each other, to always love each other, and to stay by each other's sides.

Then, the man in the background smiled widely, and pronounced them married. Immediately, Aang pulled Katara into his arms, pressing his lips against hers so eagerly. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly, not willing to let go soon. They delved into the moment that would stay on their memories for years to come, letting the chaos of cheers rage around them as they sat in their own little circle of joy, celebrating the binding of their lives.
As they broke apart, they still smiled at each other, foreheads pressed together, not speaking. Nobody bothered them. Even if they tried, they couldn't.

Aang's lips moved to Katara's ear, and he asked her to dance with him. She nodded, grinning even wider.

He swept her on to the dance floor, and the crowd cleared away immediately. They began to step, rotating around and around in a beautiful, majestic routine that had never been practiced. They made it up as they went, ignoring the bulging swell of people that wanted to speak to them so badly.

Aang twirled Katara around, pulling her so that her back was to his chest. He wound his arms around her waist and took her hands, stepping slowly and lightly. Katara leaned into his embrace, trusting him. The burning passion, love, and celebration that decorated their dance could not have been clearer. The group slowly went silent, gazing at the dancing couple. It seemed flawless, not a step out of line, not a movement gone wrong. It was as gracefully flowing as water, as light and natural as air.

Aang closed his eyes, pressing his lips to Katara's hair. "Forever." He murmured to her.

She grasped his hands tighter, lightly tracing the arrows that decorated the back of his wrists.

"Forever." She agreed.