I think this idea has been done numerous times by other authors before, but I still couldn't resist using it. I hope it's alright. Happy readings!
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
LV. Anything For You
"The hair is the richest ornament of a woman."
~Martin Luther
Katara stood in front of the mirror and ran the brush through her long, brown hair. A warm, golden light was pouring in through the open window and seemed to make everything it touched, glow. Even her hair looked glossier than ever, though she was sure it was just the sunlight playing on it that made it seem that way. From the mirror, she noticed Aang peeking over his book and watching her. She found it slightly amusing that the airbender was so fascinated by something so simple, but she made no move to tell him that. It wasn't as if brushing her hair was something interesting; she had done it every day for as long as she could remember and Aang had never bothered to watch her before, had he?
The thought made Katara wonder. She'd never really noticed him watching her before. She'd always thought he'd been doing something else. But lately, she realized, she'd been paying more attention to how she did her hair. She always debated whether to leave it loose or braid it and often times, she found herself wondering which style Aang liked better. The realization made her blush. Since when had his opinion on her hair really mattered, anyway?
The brush suddenly hit a knot in her hair and Katara worked furiously at it, noticing from the corner of her eyes that Aang was watching her again. It gave her a queer sort of feeling, the type of feeling that left her fidgeting awkwardly, while a part of her wished that he's stop staring and another part wished he wouldn't. But at last the knot became untangled and the waterbender noticed that, reluctantly, the young Avatar had gone back to reading his book.
Katara sighed and gazed into the mirror as she pleated her hair. It had grown a little longer than she had thought it would.
"I should really cut my hair," she said, more to herself than to Aang.
The book Aang was reading closed shut and he looked at her incredulously. "You want to cut your hair?"
She shrugged. "Possibly."
"But why?"
"It's so long and heavy," she replied, finishing her braid and tying it tightly. "And it takes forever to comb."
"It didn't before."
Katara flushed. So he had been watching her brush her hair all those times.
"But it's so long and frizzy," she said, realizing her hair hadn't been plaited properly. She undid it and began again. "And I have so much. It takes me a half hour just to brush it and plait it."
"But it's so pretty. Why would you want to cut it?"
"It' just so hard to manage," she replied, running the bush through her hair. "And it'll be so much easier to work with if I cut it short. My hair is so unmanageable right now."
He thought of Meng, then. She'd always complained about how unruly her hair was. But Katara's hair wasn't like hers. He's always thought it was pretty, even though he'd heard her remark once that she wished her hair was black instead of mud brown. Aang didn't think it was and he was glad her hair was brown, but he didn't tell her that.
A frustrated sigh broke him from his train of thoughts and he turned to look at Katara. Her braid was lopsided again and she was undoing the pleats rapidly. He thought about offering to help her, but he wasn't sure if she'd let him. But if she was going to cut it, there probably wouldn't be another opportunity for him to do so.
"Katara, if you're going to cut your hair, can I…?"
Her questioning look made him stop midsentence. "What?" she wondered, continuing to run the brush through her now knotted hair.
"Let me help you."
Before Katara could respond, Aang had taken the comb from her and gently began working at the knots. Katara was suddenly nervous, though she had no idea why. It was only Aang, after all.
They didn't speak much while Aang was brushing her hair. At some point, Katara had just closed her eyes and basked in the delightful feeling of Aang's hands gently running through her hair but then she remembered that she was standing in front of a mirror and that he could probably see the smile slowly creeping onto her face and she blushed. She hoped he didn't notice. If he did, his expressions didn't betray it.
Surprisingly, Aang looked like he was enjoying himself though Katara had no idea why. She wondered what pleasure he could possibly derive from brushing her hair. But the airbender had been itching to brush her hair just once, just so he could know what it felt like. It always looked so silky, so glossy that Aang often admitted to himself that, if he hadn't know it was hair, he'd have thought it was silk. He told her as much.
"It feels like silk."
"What does?"
"Your hair."
"Oh. I…thank you."
Aang tied the end of the braid and grinning, handed the comb back to Katara. "All done."
"Thanks, Aang." She was surprised to note the disappointment in her voice. She'd really enjoyed having him brush her hair, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"It was nothing," he replied. "I'd do it again, but you said you'd cut your hair."
She nodded. "I think I'll have to. It's gotten really long."
He gave her a sad smile. "I know, but I wish you wouldn't."
Katara was surprised by the sad look on his face. What did her hair matter to him? Why was he so sad? It puzzled her and as she sat in her room later that evening, with the sudden rain pounding on her window, she wondered if cutting her hair was even worth it. She'd have preferred shorter hair, but then she remembered the sad look on Aang's face. He hadn't bothered to stop her, but he told her often enough that her hair was perfect the way it was.
"I'll cut it anyway," she said to herself, reaching for the scissors. "It'll grow back." But then she remembered the wonderful feeling of Aang's hands running through her hair. It reminded her of how her mother used to brush her hair when she had been young. When knotted, Katara's hair was tough to tackle, but Aang, like Kya, had been gentle and patient and the knots had come away in no time. Cutting her hair would be the easiest solution to make managing it easier, but then a thought occurred to her. With short, manageable hair, she had no excuse to have Aang help her. Depending on how she cut it, her hair might've even been too short to braid. She wasn't so sure she liked the idea of Aang not helping her. She closed her eyes and sighed. If she thought hard enough, she could still feel Aang's slender hands moving gently through her hair. It had felt so relaxing, she hadn't wanted it to end. She could have stayed forever like that, with Aang brushing her hair.
"Who am I kidding?" she murmured. "I can't cut my hair. I'd be an idiot if I did." And as quickly as they had come out, the scissors were put away.
Katara went to find Aang after that. He was still sitting in the same spot and looked to be reading the same book, only he wasn't really reading. He was waiting to see Katara's new hairstyle. The moment he spotted her, he got up and waited for her to reveal her short hair.
"It looks the same," he noted, before Katara spoke.
She smiled. "That's because I didn't cut it."
"But I thought you wanted to."
"I did," she admitted. "But when I mentioned it, you looked so sad that I couldn't bring myself to do it"
"Katara," he laughed. "You don't have to keep it just for me. It's your hair, so you do whatever you want with it. I'll learn to like it, no matter how it is."
"I think I'll keep it like this," she said slowly. "But only if you promise me something."
He raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"If I ever need help…would you…help me?"
"Of course I would. What kind of question is that? I'll help you with anything."
Katara smiled."I meant with my hair," she said, softly. "You'll have to brush it for me."
He nodded. "I don't mind."
That night, as Katara went to bed, she decided to leave her hair loose. With any luck, it'd be knotted in the morning and Aang would have to help her brush it. The following morning, she found it was. Grabbing her comb, she raced down the hallway to the kitchen where Aang was feeding a hungry looking Momo. He smiled when he saw her.
"You're up early," he noted.
She nodded. "I couldn't sleep with all this hair in my face. Are you willing to help?" She asked, smiling and holding out her brush for him.
Aang grinned and took it. "Gladly."
And as he set to work brushing her hair, Katara was fiercely glad she decided not to cut it after all.
Thanks for all the wonderful reviews I've gotten so far. You're all amazing :)
~ Cassidy A.
