Chapter 12
On Sunday morning, there were a few gray clouds starting to cover the sky, a sure sign that a storm was on the way. Aang and Katara were still in bed when the first clap of thunder shook them awake. Looking out the window, the couple saw a thin veil of rain spattering the window, shining droplets of wet crystal sliding down the pane.
Aang yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Looks like a storm is coming in," he commented, looking out the window again.
Katara nodded in agreement, snuggling closer to her soul mate. She sighed, content. She felt Aang's arm on her stomach, sending warm tingles through her body. Turning her body towards him, Katara looked into his deep gray eyes, showing love deeper than the Earth's core. Words were not exchanged; only eye contact was needed to show what they were thinking. Aang touched her cheek, smiling slightly as he did so. The girl closed her eyes. Nothing could ruin this moment in time for them. Everything was quiet, save for the wind that started.
Sometime later, Katara started coming to her senses. She looked at the clock and received quite a shock. It was almost noon. She could have sworn it was morning. Then she thought 'We must have fallen asleep again.' She looked at the boy and saw that he was indeed asleep, his chest rising and falling evenly. He looked so cute when he was asleep, almost childlike. She didn't have the heart to wake him; but if she didn't, her father might come in and suspect they did 'something'. Katara blushed, wishing that thought had not entered her mind.
So, gently but firmly, she shook his shoulder. He stirred at her touch, slowly opening his eyes. He looked at her tiredly. "Katara?" Aang asked, sitting up. "Is something wrong?"
Katara smiled at him, enjoying the fact that even through his sleepy state, Aang would still worry about her. "Nothing's wrong, Aang," she said. "But we have to get up before my dad gets home. Come on; get up."
Aang groaned and flopped back into the pillows. "Aww, Katara," he moaned. "Can't we stay here, where it's warm? I'm too comfortable to move."
Katara laughed and brought her face closer to his head. "Come on, Aang," she murmured. He didn't move or gave any indication that he had heard her. She rolled her eyes and straightened up. "You know, you can be such a child sometimes," she said.
For a second Aang didn't move; then he lifted his head from the pillow to playfully glare at her. "That was so uncalled for, Kat," he said.
Katara snorted, "Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?" She regretted that question as soon as it left her mouth.
Aang's eyes had that mischievous glint, and Katara knew automatically that she was in for it. He tried to hide his smirk but failed as he said, "You really want to know?" He came closer to her, and Katara flushed a bright pink. 'Darn him and his closeness' she thought. She hated it when he was in control, even though sometimes she liked the attention he gave her.
Katara gave Aang her best daring look she could muster as she said, "Yes." But then she saw his arms wrap around her, and she should have thought better. The girl only had time to say, "Don't you even think-" before he started tickling her. She squealed with laughter that made her sides hurt. Aang laughed with her, enjoying tickling the life out of her. He loved hearing her laugh; it brightened his world like a million suns.
"Do you give?" Aang asked over her laughter, still tickling her.
Katara gasped for breath. "Okay, okay!" she gasped out. "I give!" Aang tickled her a little more before stopping altogether. Katara was breathing heavily as she regained her breath. When she did, the girl tackled her boyfriend with a smirk of her own. He landed on his back, gray eyes wide. She had his hands on either side of his head and her legs straddling his waist. He tried to break free, but found she had strength he didn't know about.
The boy knew he was in trouble now and tried to talk to her. He cleared his throat. "Um, Katara?" he asked nervously. She looked at him, a glint in her eye that spelled trouble. He licked his lips. "W-what are going to do?" He sounded breathless, and that was exactly what she wanted.
Katara leaned closer to his ear and breathed, "You're about to find out." Aang trembled slightly when he felt her warm breath on his skin. And find out he did. Katara started kissing and nibbling his neck. Aang gasped and squirmed a little, but she held him fast. She started placing open mouthed kisses, her tongue touching bare skin there. The boy moaned; then shivered when he felt her blow air onto the wet spots where she kissed him. Katara chuckled, enjoying this torture she's doing.
He tried to move, but she was too close to his body for him to be able to do so. And to be honest, he kind of liked the attention she was giving him. Katara was on the other side of his neck now, giving it the same treatment like before. Kiss, lick, and blow. Aang sighed and tilted his head back. Katara giggled and continued to kiss him. Moving to his collarbone, she started nibbling there. The teenage boy jumped. If she kept this up it won't be long before he was breathless like she was when he had tickled her. And the urge to hold her close was becoming unbearable.
Katara, understanding his strain, decided to be a little merciful. She let go of his hands and he immediately grabbed her waist and pulled her up to his face. She looked at him, mock anger on her flushed face. They were both breathing heavily, hot breaths on each other's faces. They stayed like that for a moment before Aang started kissing her, starting with her rose colored cheeks and working down her neck and jawline before claiming her lips. Katara's hands were on his chest, and she started massaging. He groaned into her mouth and held her tighter.
They kept at it until a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Only then did they come back to reality. The couple pulled away and grinned stupidly at one another. After a peck on his cheek, Katara got off of Aang and stood up. Aang looked a little disappointed, but got up slowly and started getting dressed. Katara grabbed some clothes and went to change in the bathroom.
Looking at herself in the mirror, the girl could see her cheeks were still flushed. Her hair was a mess. How could Aang think her beautiful when it looked like rats had nested in her hair? She shook her disheveled head, thinking she found the perfect boy to be with her. There have been times where she would picture a life with him: a two story stone home with a fireplace and many bedrooms; waking up every morning and going to bed every night with Aang at her side; even having children. That last thought made her blush again, but she can't help but want that. Once this mess was over and done with, Katara was going to make more time for her and Aang, waiting for that dream to hopefully come true.
Coming out of her thoughts, Katara grabbed her brush and swiped it through her chocolate locks. After that, she left it down, like she has been since her and Aang became friends, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and changed into jeans and a long sleeved shirt.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Katara saw Aang sitting on the bed, staring at the door, waiting for her. She smiled at him and he returned it with his hand extending. She placed her hand into his warm palm and felt herself being pulled down next to him. Wrapping his arms around her, Aang felt at peace and sighed, holding her close. This was home.
A few minutes later they went downstairs to have breakfast and that was when Aang noticed Sokka wasn't up. He turned to his girlfriend and said, "Have you noticed that Sokka isn't up yet?"
Katara furrowed her brow, glancing at the stairs as if expecting her brother's arrival. When no one appeared, she sighed and looked at her boyfriend. "I don't know. He's usually up by now. Food is what usually wakes him." She pressed her lips together. "I'll go check on him." She stood up and saw that Aang had stood as well. Knowing what he was doing, the girl went over to him and touched his cheek. "It's okay, Aang. Nothing's going to happen to me. I'll be right back; I promise." She pecked his lips and went the up the stairs. Aang sat back down, waiting, having a sense that something was out of place. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it did feel weird.
Not a minute later had passed before Katara came down, her face worried. Aang stood up again and asked, "What's wrong, Katara?"
She looked at him and replies, "He's not in his room. That's weird; where could he have gone?" She said that last part mostly to herself.
Aang grabbed her hand and squeezed it firmly. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm sure he's fine. Maybe he went on a midnight drive. Who knows? He could've gone to Suki's place."
Katara nodded slowly. "Maybe you're right," she said. "But I'm going to call him anyway, just to be sure."
Aang smiles and kissed her cheek. "And while you're doing that, I'll clean the dishes." She was about to protest but he waved her into silence. "No arguments. It's the least I could do for everything you've done for me." He went to clean the dishes while Katara, smiling, went to call her brother.
Aang was right; the older teen boy was at his girlfriend's place. Katara scolded him for making her worry, saying he could have at least left a note saying where he was going. "Sorry, Katara," Sokka said on the other line. "But I needed to check on Suki. I was worried about her. I needed to be there for her. You understand that, right?"
Katara sighed and rubbed her temple. "Yeah, I understand. Tell Suki that I hope she feels better. But next time you do something like this, leave a note, okay?"
She heard him sigh. Then he said, "Okay; I promise I will. Anyway, I'll be back later. Me and Suki are going to have lunch. Tell dad for me."
Katara nodded. "Sure, Sokka. I'll see you later. Love you."
"Love you too, sis. Bye."
"Bye." She hung up the phone just in time to see the house door open. There was a downpour going on outside and he was soaking wet, even with a coat on. Hakoda was shivering slightly as he walked in. Katara stared at him before walking over. Hakoda took his coat off and gave his daughter a hug for a greeting as much as for the warmth.
"Katara," he said warmly. He held her at arm's length and looked her up and down before saying, "Something is different here." Katara blushed and, unfortunately for her, her father noticed and grinned knowingly. "Does it have something to do with a boy?" Even though his tone was light, there was a shrewd look in his blue eyes that made Katara squirm a little.
She cleared her throat before saying, "Um... you'll have to figure that out for yourself. Are you hungry?" She wanted to steer this conversation away from her love life for a moment.
Hakoda knew what she was doing, but he couldn't blame her. She was probably unsure about how he would feel if he knew she was with someone. He was about to reply when his stomach answered for him. They both laughed as they went into the kitchen. Just then Aang came in while drying his hands on a towel. He stopped and stared at Hakoda; the older man did the same thing. His face was impassive while Aang's was shocked and a little nervous. Katara looked from one male to the other before clearing her throat. Both men looked at her.
"Uh, Dad, this is Aang. You know, from the hospital." Hakoda's face remained impassive for a few more moments before his lips twitched into a smile. Aang and Katara both released their breaths and smiled at each other. The tension eased and Aang held his hand out. Hakoda clasped it firmly and laughed. "That's quite a grip you have there, son," he said kindly. "Nice to see you have recovered. How do you feel?"
Aang looked at Katara and grinned before looking back at the older man. "Couldn't have been better, sir."
Hakoda laughed again and sat down, gesturing for the boy to do the same. "I told you before, Aang: call me Hakoda. Any friend of Katara's is a friend of mine." Aang and Katara blushed bright red. The man chuckled. "Or are you two more than friends?" The shrewd look was back, and Aang started to feel nervous.
The couple looked at one another before Katara said, "I'll make you some food, Dad." Then she walked away.
Aang looked at Hakoda before saying, "I'll help." He left a chuckling Hakoda behind. In the kitchen, Aang found his girlfriend trying to reach a boxed meal, without succeeding in grabbing it. He shook his head in amusement before walking over to her and reached up. Since he was taller than her, grabbing the food was easier for him. Katara gave him a grateful look as she took the box before going over to the stove.
As she was cooking the leftover hamburger, Aang watched. To him, she was the most graceful creature in existence. He wouldn't trade her for anything. He sighed dreamily. Katara stopped for a moment to look at him and blushed. They stared at one another for a minute before the girl continued cooking.
When the food was done, the couple walked into the dining room where Hakoda sat at the table, waiting. Katara gave him the food and she and Aang sat down. Silence reined in the spacious room. Aang was fidgeting with his shirt, looking nervous yet again. Katara noticed and grabbed his hand under the table. Aang tensed for a moment squeezing her hand in turn and smiled at her before relaxing a little.
When Hakoda was halfway through his meal, he looked up at them. Eyed them for a moment before saying, "Mind telling me what's been going on?" Aang and Katara looked confused before the man explained. "I can tell when things are different. From Katara's sparkling eyes, something good happened between you two." His own eyes twinkled with mirth. The teenagers blushed and Hakoda chuckled. "So, do you guys want to tell me?"
Aang and Katara looked at each other before Katara cleared her throat.
"Uh, Dad?" He looked at her daughter before she continued. "There is something we need to tell you." She paused, wondering how to phrase this. Aang notices her hesitation and squeezed her hand. She swallowed and decided instead of words, actions would explain better. So steeling her nerves, and one more glance at Aang, she raised their intertwined hands for her father to see.
Hakoda's face was impassive. The couple was nervous; they held their breath. It seemed to forever and a day before Hakoda smiled and laughed. The teenagers relaxed and smiled too. Hakoda stopped laughing and took a deep breath before saying something.
"I knew it! I knew you two would be together."
"You did?" Katara asked. The couple looked dumbfounded. Did everyone know that but them? It seems so, for everyone thought they looked cute together. If everyone else saw it, why didn't they?
Hakoda chuckled again and gave them a warm look. "Of course I did. To be honest, it was quite obvious, even when I only met Aang once. And I have to say, I'm glad for it." This only furthered their confusion and their faces must have shown it for Hakoda explained, turning to Aang. "You see, Aang, Katara has been in a kind of frozen state after her mother's death. She was still caring, but she was forced to grow up faster than was expected of her.
"When I saw her that first day of school, I knew something was different. It wasn't until she went to you that I knew. You had changed her, Aang; made her feel happy again. Truly happy. And I have never been more grateful to anyone." Then he stood up and hugged them both from behind their chairs. To say they were shocked would be the understatement of the century. Aang had expected to get a scolding of some sort and Katara was expecting her father to get overprotective. Instead, all they got was fatherly love, something Aang only got from his Uncle.
Hakoda released them and turn to Aang again with a stern expression. "But, I am going to warn you: if you do anything to hurt my daughter, I will make you regret it." Now Aang could see where Sokka got his facial expressions from. It was quite intimidating.
Aang said solemnly, "I promise to the Spirits that I will never let anything happen to Katara. I would rather hurt myself than anyone else." Katara had tears in her eyes. What he said was so sincere she knew it to be true. Hakoda looked surprised by the young boy's oath.
Then he laughed heartily. He patted the boys shoulder. "I'm glad to hear that, son. Judging from your expression, I can tell you mean it." He straightened up and rolling his shoulders, let out a huge sigh. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm heading upstairs to take a nap. These meetings are really starting to get boring." They all laughed as Hakoda left them to get ready for sleep.
The teenagers sat in comfortable silence, releasing more of their tension from their bodies. Then Katara straightened up with a sigh and turned to Aang. "Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought. I thought he was going to be harsher."
Aang laughed again and wrapped his arm around her. "That's what I thought too. Although he did give me that threat; but it wasn't too bad."
Katara snuggled closer to his heat. "I guess I should count myself lucky; at least I know you wouldn't harm me." She felt Aang tense and looked at his face. He looked upset, and Katara mentally face-palmed herself. She tried to reconcile. "But I know you would never hurt me anyway. I didn't mean that you would, and I have never felt scared around you. You make feel the opposite: you make me feel safe and loved." Aang had his eyes closed; now he looked at her when he felt her hand on his cheek. She combed her hand through his hair. "You make me feel things that I never knew about, nor wanted to. It wasn't until you came into my life that I realized what I was missing. I never knew what being in love was like, I didn't know about romance besides books. It was you I have waiting for, the second part of my heart."
She grabbed his hand and brought it to her chest. Under the fabric of her shirt, Aang could feel the rhythmic beating of her heart and it brought tears to his eyes knowing that this goddess of a girl was his, now and forever.
He took a shaky breath looked into her soul. "I didn't know about romantic love either; it was one of those foreign things that I never understood. I thought it was hopeless for someone like me to get involved. Until you came. When my parents died, I thought it was the end of the world; but I kept living my life because there was this calling. I wasn't sure what it meant: then I found you, and suddenly everything became clear like a veil was lifted from my eyes. I knew then that my entire world didn't end: it only took the form of one person who had a part of my soul."
Then he took her other hand, the one not holding his, and brought it to his own heart. The beat was steady and strong, like a drum. "Feel that?" When she nodded, he said, "Compare it to your own. What do you feel?" She concentrated on the beats. They felt the same, the pounding equal to one another. Tears misted her eyes as she looked back into his wet eyes. She took a deep breath before replying.
"You want to know what I feel?" When he looked expectant, she continued. "I feel the second half of me. I feel complete. And no one is going to tell me otherwise." They released each other's hands from their chests but kept their eyes on one another. Then she rested her forehead against his and finished with, "I love you, Aang. That's coming straight from the heart."
Aang released his tears as he murmured, "I love you too, Katara. Even the Spirits couldn't stop that." Then he kissed her deeply, her kissing back with tears streaming down both of their faces. Wrapping their arms around each other, they kissed with all the love in the world. It was a kiss that could break the heart before mending it. No tongues or anything like that; this kiss was different, more powerful and meaningful. It spoke volumes that no words could describe. It was a kiss of true love.
All of a sudden, Katara's necklace shined a brilliant blue, almost white, encompassing the couple with its brilliant radiance. The couple released from their kiss to take a look, awe in their faces. The glow was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen; it was like being in a sort of embrace, warm and loving. It looked like water and air was swirling around them, creating a protective shield from the outside world. They looked at each other and smiled briefly before their eyes widened and glowed: Katara's a blinding blue, Aang's white. Something clicked inside of them, merging them together in an unbreakable bond.
After a few more seconds, the glow from their eyes and around them dimmed until it was gone entirely. The couple closed their eyes and slumped into each other, feeling exhausted but at peace. A few minutes passed before they opened their eyes and looked at each other. What they saw made them gasp. Katara's blue eyes swirled with gray while Aang's gray eyes swirled with blue; their coexisting colors. Then their eyes colors went back to normal and they blinked. They waited until their racing hearts and breathing slowed down.
Then Katara spoke up. "Aang?" Her voice sounded husky and breathless.
"Yeah?" Aang's voice sounded hoarse, deeper.
She licked her lips. "Wha-what was that?"
Aang shook his head and swallowed. "I... I don't know." Then he took a deep breath. "But I feel, I don't know, different." He looked at her. "What about you? What do you feel?"
Katara took a deep breath also and said, "I feel... more complete. More connected."
They sat in silence for a moment before Aang said, "I feel that way too. Kat, I think..." She looked at him and Aang licked his lips. "I think our souls recognized each other." 'I think we're one now.'
Katara jumped as her eyes went wide. "What did you just say?" she squeaked.
Aang looked confused. "I didn't say anything except that our souls recognized each other." 'That's all I said, wasn't it?'
Katara shook her head. "No it wasn't. You said something else after that."
Now Aang looked really perplexed. "Katara, I swear I didn't say anything. I only thought..." He trailed off as realization hit him like a rock. The boy stared at her in amazement. "Katara? Did you just... read my mind?" Aang asked slowly, hardly believing the words.
Katara looked at him with wide eyes. "Um... I'm not sure. Do you think I did?"
Aang nodded. "I think so because I know I didn't say anything."
Katara looked suddenly excited and grabbed Aang's arm. "Think of something else."
Aang put on his thinking face and thought, 'Like what?'
Katara rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Something that-" She cut herself off, staring at him. She pointed at him. "Holy Spirits I totally heard that!" Then she laughed. Still bewildered with this new found ability, Aang laughed with her and grabbed her hand excitedly.
He said, "Your turn. Think of something."
Katara, feeling giddy, thought for a moment before thinking 'I like your hair.'
Aang laughed and said, "Are you serious? My hair is so messy not even gel could keep it down."
Katara laughed with him. "But I like your hair this way. It suits you." She ran her hand through it for emphasis.
Aang leaned away and swatted her hand playfully. 'Yeah, yeah. Don't go all sentimental on me.'
Katara faked being outraged. 'Well, then. I guess you can't sleep in my bed anymore.'
Aang looked like a hammer had hit him straight in the face and Katara had to bite her lip. 'Awww, Kat! That's low and so unfair.'
Katara couldn't hold in the laughter. She clutched her sides and tried to breathe. Aang looked hurt, and Katara wasn't sure if it was real or not. After a minute, she was able to breathe again and wrapped her arms around his neck. She giggled when Aang pouted. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I couldn't help it. You know I was kidding right?"
Aang made a face. "I don't know! It isn't like I can read your mind." He thinned his lips to keep from laughing. Katara did too; but neither of them could. The laughter came out of them as they hugged each other. Then they remembered Hakoda and tried to tone it down. When the laughter died down enough, they listened. They didn't hear him come down; but they did hear some very loud snoring.
Aang laughed quietly. "He sounds exactly like Sokka."
Katara giggled. "Where do you think Sokka got it from?"
Aang snorted and pulled her closer. He looked into her eyes. "Okay, so we can read each other's minds. Do you think we can read anyone else's?"
Katara shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. Let's try it." The couple remained quiet as they tried to read Hakoda's thoughts. But nothing came to them; they only heard his snoring using their ears. They sighed and looked at one another, a little disappointed.
"Maybe it's for the best," Katara said. "It would be rude if we saw into their minds."
Aang shrugged. "Maybe you're right." Then he looked mischievous. "But that doesn't mean I can't look into yours."
Katara slapped his shoulder. "You better not! My thoughts and images are my business, thank you very much. How would you feel if I went into your thoughts without permission?"
Aang shrugged. "I don't know. I've never felt invaded before. Besides: I trust you. You wouldn't go too far." Katara huffed. He smiled. "If it makes you feel better, I swear that I won't look without your consent. Deal?" He held out his hand.
Katara smirked and took his hand. 'Deal!'
That was when the door opened and Sokka and Suki walked in. It seemed to be raining harder than ever, if it was possible. Sokka shook himself like a dog after having a bath.
"WHOO! It's really pouring out there!" he exclaimed as Suki closed the door behind them. Aang and Katara shook their heads while Suki rolled her eyes and took off her coat. After Sokka took off his and hung it up, he wrapped his arm around Suki and grinned like an idiot. "So, what did we miss?"
