Okay, so this one's different. It takes place directly after Ember Island Players. Enjoy it! And, as always, I do not own ATLA!
What a disaster today had been.
It had all started with that terrible play, completely false accounts of the adventures of Avatar Aang and his friends. The play also foretold the impending doom that awaited him at the hands of the evil Firelord Ozai. And at Aang's death, the audience applauded! Not only did the Firelord want the young Avatar dead…the people did, too. The mere thought made Aang sick to his stomach. How could an entire nation wish death upon, Avatar or not, a twelve-year-old kid?
Strangely, that wasn't even the worst part of Aang's day—not even in the slightest. Now, maybe he needed to have his priorities straightened out, but the most disastrous part of his day was the conversation he had with Katara during the play's intermission.
The whole thing was because of the play in the first place. During the scene in the catacombs below Ba Sing Se, the actress portraying Katara declared her affections for Zuko, claiming Aang was like a brother to her. This made the real Aang upset, and he left the auditorium. When Katara met up with him on the balcony of the theatre, he asked her if she really thought of him as a little brother. But when she denied this, stating that an actress had said that and not her, he wasn't satisfied. He told her that he thought they'd be together after their kiss during the invasion. She replied that now wasn't the best time, as they were in the middle of a war right now, and that she was confused. And then…he kissed her. She quickly pulled away and yelled at him before storming angrily away, leaving the poor Airbender heartbroken and upset.
As Aang recalled the events in his head, he balled his hands into fists and growled at himself. How could he have been such an idiot?
It was now well past midnight, but he couldn't sleep. He instead sat on the beach and watched the moon push and pull the ocean peacefully.
After a while, he was greeted by a voice that belonged to the last person he wanted to see right now.
"Aang?"
Katara approached the young Avatar hesitantly, unsure of how he'd react to her presence.
Aang didn't look up at her. "Yes, Katara?" he replied coldly.
She sighed. "Are you…okay?"
"Fine, just fine. Never better," came his sarcastic response.
"Aang, I know I—" she started.
"Stop. Just…please stop." He sounded…hurt. "Please…I just want to be by myself for a while. I need to clear my head."
She stepped closer to him. "No, Aang. You need to hear this."
He stood up and faced her, albeit not without a look of annoyance.
"I'm…not as confused as I was earlier," she began. "I thought for a while, and…well, I think you had every right to say what you did. You and I have been…complicated lately. And it's not fair that I got mad because you wanted some clarity."
"But…what does that mean?" Aang asked. "What exactly am I to you?"
Katara wasted no time answering. "Not a little brother…if that means anything."
"Well…I guess you kinda know already, but…I don't see you as my older sister," Aang replied innocently, not meaning to be funny but nevertheless eliciting a giggle from Katara.
"Well, more specifically…to me, you're my best friend," the Waterbender said. "I'm still a little confused, but I want you to know that I do love you…more than a brother, and maybe more than just a friend." She paused and touched his shoulder. "But…I just don't know right now. There's too much going on, too much at stake to think about things like this. So…for now, promise we're still friends?"
Aang nodded. "Of course…best friends."
"Good," Katara replied.
A comfortable silence fell between the two for a while as they stood on the beach, taking in the beautiful ocean waves lapping at the sand a few yards in front of them.
And even though he and Katara weren't together like Aang wanted, she was still his friend. There was hope for him yet.
