Appa landed happily with a loud thud before he collapsed on the ground, snores escaping his great mouth. The group he had been carrying all varied in the exhaustion department, close to collapsing as well. The sun was nearing the end of its day, casting a warm glow upon the world where people could watch the colors dance, mixing together like paint on canvas.
Suki rubbed her eyes as they got off of the sleeping beast, some more gracefully than others. Sokka was yawning everything he was worth and she could tell he was as tired as the rest of them. She worried for her friends, especially for Katara, who was asleep in Aang's arms, her parka covering her body as if trying to get warm.
Aang himself was looking tired but relieved and happy as he held the young woman close, a glow of his own coming to his face that was directed at her. Suki knew, from the way he was looking at Katara, that his love for her had only deepened, and she found her eyes going to her own boyfriend, who was coming towards her with a small smile on his face. He gently wrapped her in his arms, hugging her close as if he somehow knew that she needed it, and her heart absolutely melted in his hands.
Breathing him in, Suki thought about being with him for the rest of her life, until they both would pass on into the Spirit World. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of staying with Sokka for all eternity, never severing the bond they have, never having to be apart. She hoped that one day, he would ask her the big question, but she wasn't going to push it. Normally she would take charge on certain things, but for this she wanted Sokka to be the one to take charge. She could only hope that he would want what she did.
After the embrace ended, they looked at each other, and it was then she noticed that everyone else was gone, leaving them alone in their moment, which she was grateful for. They had hardly had any time together she got to the fire nation. Wow, that felt like it had happened ages ago. The warrior was smiling wider and Suki felt her lips twitch in response before it grew on her own face. He pushed an auburn lock away from her face. "I'm glad that's over," he said quietly.
She sighed, nestling her face into his warm neck, feeling his pulse as the blood ran under his skin. "I am too," she responded just as quietly, and felt Sokka kiss her forehead before bringing her closer again.
After a few moments of the peace, Sokka sighed, passing his fingers through her short hair. "We should head in; it's been a long day for everyone." She nodded and he grabbed her waist as they walked into the house, where snores could be heard from a few places in the house, both loud and soft, the former drowning out the latter. Sokka led her into a spare room, one that was originally his back during the war. When they sat down on the bed, the door closed, the peace permeated them in a soft cocoon, quiet yet stable.
As they snuggled under the covers, feeling him spooning from behind, Suki became aware of his strength once more, and her body pulled her closer to him without thought, only wanted the comfort that being with him brings. The longer they lay there, the calmer it became, making her eyelids droop until they closed. That was when she felt him rub her stomach, and she knew he was thinking about something. Forcing her eyes open, Suki turned around to look at him, and saw that Sokka's dark brows had pulled together in a frown that had her worried. She touched his face and he looked at her with dark blue eyes. "What's on your mind, Sokka?" she murmured.
His gaze stayed fixed on her as if looking for something. What that was she did not know, but she was curious all the same. After taking a deep breath, he finally answered. "I don't know what I would done if it had been you."
For a moment she was confused. What did he mean by that? Slowly, it dawned on her that he was referring to what had happened with his sister and she touched his cheek. "You don't have to worry about that, Sokka. It won't happen, hopefully it never will again."
But he shook his head as if denying that statement and the Kyoshi leader was surprised to see wetness in his eyes that broke her heart. "But if it was you, I don't think I would have had the courage to do what Aang did. The thought of you not living, not being with me, hurts more than anything else. I don't want lose you."
Suki took a deep breath as the tears came to his cheeks, wiping them off of his face as she thought about how to answer his anguish. The depth of hurt in him made her want to weep as well, but somehow she managed to hold in the tears. Finally she said, "Remember when we were on top of the airships during the comet, and one of them had split apart, leaving you and Toph on your own?"
Confusion entered in his eyes but he nodded, watching her intently as she continued, smoothing his hair back. "When that happened, I thought you guys were going to get hurt, and when I saw how the Firebenders had trapped you, I was so afraid that you were going to be killed. I thought I wasn't going to get to you in time, but somehow, you both fell onto the airship I was on. Seeing you alive, it made me happy, Sokka, so relieved to know that the end hadn't come. I was so happy to have you in my arms again after that, I thought I was going to faint from the relief."
Sokka's eyes were huge as he watched her face, eyes connected with hers, and the warmth and love made her heart thud in her chest. The next thing she knew, he was hugging her again, breathing ragged. Suki held onto him tightly as they burrowed deeper into the bed, into themselves, and they found peace. When he looked up, there was a smile on his face. "I love you, Suki; I've never loved anyone more than you."
She smiled ad lightly kissed his lips, tasting the salt from his tears, before she murmured, "I love you too, Sokka." He answered by kissing her again, and she felt herself melt right through, basking the bubble they formed. As the kiss hardened and deepened, she felt heat run through her body, and felt Sokka move to straddle her. Clothes flew away, skin touched, and the night blazed in their love for each other. Suki knew, right then, that she was going to remember this night for the rest of their lives.
Quin thought, as he lay on Toph's bed with her close to him, that things couldn't get any better than this. His friends were okay, Katara was alive, and he was with the beautiful blind girl who had stolen his heart, accepting him despite his flaws. Toph herself was playing with his shirt, gently tugging in an innocent way that made him fall in love with her more. Quin was tempted to take off his shirt so she could explore his skin, but he thought that was too fast. Besides, he wanted Toph to take charge like she usually would; still, the thought of her touching him made him feel warm.
Toph sighed in a content way as her body relaxed and Quin pulled her closer. It wasn't until this moment that he realized how tense everyone had been since Katara had started showing signs of the Frozen Heart curse. He was glad and very relieved that they didn't have to deal with a psychotic ice thrower who had threatened to destroy the world anymore. The Earthbender wondered how she and Aang were doing. The last he saw them they had went into a room that might have been theirs.
Quin was glad those two had each other; their bond was stronger than metal in the world, their love deeper than any canyon. If it hadn't been for them, Katara's resistance to the curse and Aang's endurance, everyone would be either dead or turned into slaves. It made him shiver thinking about it, and the movement must had have alerted Toph for she asked, "What's on your mind?"
He shrugged with a grin even though she couldn't see it. "Just of how everything seemed to work out with or without us. Aang and Katara have been through a lot these last few days. I guess I can't help but admire their devotion to each other."
She snorted slightly. "Don't get me started on that. Their devotion can make me throw up because of how mushy they are." He laughed at the truth of it and she joined it, being as quiet as they could. Then her expression turned more serious as the laughter dwindled and he noticed it. Quin touched her cheek and she sighed, seeming to know what he was asking without him saying a word. "Back when I met them, I knew they were close, closer than friends should be. It drove me crazy when I felt their heart rates spike up just from being around each other. That still happens, but more strongly now." After taking a deep breath Toph continued. "I was so tempted to tell the obvious, but somehow I restrained from giving them embarrassment, at least a little."
Quin chuckled. "You, having mercy? Someone pinch me away from this dream."
Then she did pinch him, right on his neck and he yelped, staring at her. Toph grinned deviously. "Well, you did say to pinch you; I was only going with your wish."
He rolled his eyes, rubbing the slightly sore spot. "That was just an expression, Toph."
The Blind Bandit snorted loudly. "Yeah, sure it was, Quin." After they settled back into the bed, the smile disappeared. "Anyway, I guess it wasn't until the battle, when Aang had to, you know, do that, that I realized how close the two really were. I felt his heart, but it was more than that. I could've sworn the earth trembled because of how deep his anguish was, how heartbroken he sounded. I thought-" She swallowed and he rubbed her arm in comfort and concern. "I had thought that was it, that he and Katara would never get to have the life they deserve. I never thought Katara would get out of this alive because I felt her heartbeat stop, felt her go limp. It was like losing family."
Quin kissed her head as soft sound of crying came from the girl in his arms, not knowing what to say to that. It was obvious that what had happened still bothered Toph, but he didn't how deep her sadness went until that moment. He thought about how depressed he had been when he lost of his childhood friends to bandits when they had gone out to gather wood when he was eleven. His friend had been full of energy, running around and Earthbending what he could; they had been inseparable since before they could remember. Then the bandits had shown up, wanting all of their money. They didn't have any and had told the men so, but they didn't believe them. In the end the boys had to fight.
Quin got out of it alive, but his friend Jing had not. He had been run clean through with a crescent dagger. There was nothing any of them could do, and Quin had watched in horror as his friend fell, blood pooling around him. He remembered having fallen to his knees and held Jing until he died, and the bandits had run off, terrified of what had happened, never to be seen again. Since then, Quin had trained until the time of his accident and beyond, wanting to do what he could to prevent any more deaths like Jing's.
Feeling his eyes prick, Quin blinked hard and said hoarsely, "I know how that feels, Toph. At least you guys got lucky."
She frowned up at him, her blind eyes somehow piercing, and sighed. "I guess you're right." Somehow her hand found his cheek. "You lost someone important to you." It was a statement but he nodded anyway, knowing she would be able to feel it. "I'm sorry."
He kissed her palm, touched by her sincerity. "It's alright; it was a long time ago."
She laid her head down, getting comfortable, and he held her close. "Just so you know, I think your friend would be proud of you. I know I am."
He breathed deep, taking in Toph's scent like a drowning man. "Thanks, Toph." He felt her nod against his chest as sleep claimed her, feeling her body relax against his, and it wasn't long before sleep claimed him as well in a blanket of sweet darkness.
As the sun rose from the eastern sky, Aang thought it couldn't be a better day already. He had been up for a while now, watching his fiancée sleep deeply, undisturbed by the nightmares that had haunted his beloved's mind these past few weeks. As he watched her breathe in slowly and exhale softly, Aang had to smile even though his throat felt tight. He had been so close to losing her forever, had actually felt Katara's spirit leave the body he held close, and had felt true heartbreak since the time he had learned of his peoples' deaths.
When the Air bender had seen the young woman on the ground, frozen and not breathing, he had thought it over with for them, for everyone in their tightknit family, because how could they be one without Katara, the very person who believed in hope and love, with a determination as strong as the earth they walked on? She was the one had helped the group in their darkest times, bringing light and love where it was needed most. Aang couldn't think of a future where Katara wasn't in it.
A slight stirring on his chest made him become of aware of movement and looked down just in time to see the deep blues of her eyes open. Seeing her wake up like that after the traumatic experiences made him feel giddy in such a way it was a miracle that he didn't float off of the bed. When their eyes met, they both smiled and Aang ran his palm up her arm, feeling her shiver slightly and pull herself closer to him.
He kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?" he asked against her skin.
Katara took a deep breath as if checking herself out. "I feel fine, for real this time. This is the first real decent sleep I've had in weeks." She snuggled closer, and Aang felt his heart rate pick up at the intimacy of the moment. It was still so surreal; everything that had happened seemed to be from a dream, a fog of memories that covered the mind. Right then, the Airbender wanted nothing more to make the bad memories to go away, to make room for happy ones, one of them being their wedding.
A grin stretched over his face and chuckle of happiness escaped, which made Katara look up at him in curiosity. "What is it, Aang?"
He shook his head. "Nothing, Katara; I'm just really happy." When she continued to look at him, he sighed and pushed a flyaway hair from her face. "I was thinking about us getting married."
A smile came to her lips as her hand touched the pendant around her neck, and Aang felt his heart swell until there was no room in his chest. She murmured, "I'm glad you had proposed to me that night. If you hadn't, I probably wouldn't be here now."
He drew in a low breath and held the love of his life close to him, feeling his eyes prick. He didn't know what to say to that; he was a simple monk, so getting praise or compliments from strangers made him feel odd. Yet hearing them come from Katara's lips made him feel like the world couldn't get any brighter because he knew she meant what she said. Not once had she led him or the group astray. She was always strong, even when times were tough.
Aang breathed in her scent, one of warmth and of the ocean, thinking again how lucky they were, how he was, to have this beautiful woman around. "I would have done whatever it took to make sure you lived. When I had struck you though, I…" He trailed off, feeling his throat get tight as he remembered again the unmoving form of his love.
She must have read his mind because she brought her hand to his face and smoothed the tears away from his cheeks, loving and calming like the elements they controlled. Her eyes were locked onto his as she said, "You didn't have a choice, Aang. I'm glad you did what you had to, because I knew eventually that you and I would meet again. Somehow, I just knew I was coming back. I think it was because I had something for me back here, something waiting to be fulfilled. I didn't want to leave those I loved behind."
He swallowed, eyes on hers, as she touched his arrow, tracing it lightly as shivers, slight tremors, ran through his body, wanting more of the contact as it calmed him. "I thought you were gone, Katara," he whispered, his voice lowered in quiet agony. "I-I killed you. It went against everything I was taught."
She closed her eyes sadly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, sweetie." Katara then looked at him, brows furrowed. "Do you regret it?"
He looked at her fiercely and surprised himself when he said, "No." She looked surprised as well and he elaborated. "Saving you and the others were the only things that drove me to do what I did. I could never regret protecting the people I love. If there was even a slim chance of you living after everything that had happened, I was going to take that chance. This," he added as he grabbed her hand and placed it on his beating heart, "this was worth making the risk for: a chance for love, the possibility of a future together. I wanted that, and I know it was selfish of me to want that, but it's the truth." Kissing her knuckles, Aang smiled a little. "I was ready to fight for something I believe in, no matter what. I love you, Katara, and I will never regret saving your life."
Tears fell from her eyes and a big smile came to her face before she lunged at him, latching her lips onto his with a yearning that matched his own. As they held themselves close, he tasted her tears and put more pressure into the kiss, wanting to stop the water from falling from her eyes, but they seemed to get stronger until she was sobbing. The kiss stopped and they hugged, calming themselves until everything quieted. Her breath hitched and Aang rubbed her back before saying, "I can't wait, Katara; I want to get married as soon as possible. How about we do this in the way of the Water Tribe?"
She looked at him with those big eyes. "But…what about your way? How did the Air Nomads get married?"
He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, it was rare, but there used to be some cases where a monk and a nun got together. The practice is pretty old, though; older than me even." He chuckled as he said this and Katara smiled before biting her lip.
Eyes shining, she declared, "I want to know how."
Aang studied her closely, wondering if she was serious. "Do you really want to, Katara?" he asked slowly.
She nodded. "I want to help bring back the Air Nomad culture; I think a wedding would be good a start."
He frowned. "But what about you? You're Water Tribe; I think it's only fair that we have this wedding your way."
She raised a brow. "And the way I want it is in the Air Nomad way. Come on, Aang; can we do it? Pretty please?" And when she gave those seal pup eyes, he knew he was a goner.
With a sigh he nodded, which Katara laughed in glee as she hugged him close. Looking her in the eye he added, "But we have to have some part of your culture in the wedding; I doubt everyone would want to eat veggie wraps and salads."
She chuckled. "I guess you have a point, Aang. Especially since Sokka doesn't like vegetarian food."
The Airbender rolled his eyes. "That's Sokka for you; smart some of the time, hungry all the time, sarcastic most of it."
As they laughed, a knock came to the door and Suki poked her head in with a smile. "Hey, guys. How's everything in here?"
The couple looked at each other and said in unison, "Couldn't be better!"
Suki chuckled. "Well, good to hear. I was about to head to the market, do you guys need anything?"
Aang shook his head and Katara said, "I think we're good, Suki, but thanks. Be careful out there."
"I will," she said with a knowing smirk before she closed the door and left them alone once again.
Katara looked back at Aang and was about to say something until she felt him kiss her in a way that was dizzying. As she clutched onto his shoulders he murmured against her mouth, "I love you, Katara."
"I love you too, Aang," she whispered before they resumed the kiss, heat building up in them until they were on the bed, Katara under Aang as kissed her slowly in a reverent way. And this was only this beginning for them.
Sorry for not updating sooner; I was working on publishing my first novel. But here it is. I going to make a epilogue, which means this story it at its end. Sad face! Anyway, I'll let you guys know if my book is published. It's an ebook and a self publish, but I had to start somewhere. After the epilogue, I'll take a break from fan fiction writing and get to the real writing. I hope you guys enjoyed this story.
