Hey guys! This is my first multichapter story. I have to preface this by saying that the idea is not entirely mine, I have read two similar fics to this one, but I cannot for the life of me remember the authors… So! If you recognise a similar idea in here let me know so I can credit you properly. Don't worry, I have changed the dynamics of the story quite substantially, but the basic idea of the fic remains the same (it's really quite fantastic). Well, no point beating around the bush…

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Returning to the ice

Aang had been deep in his own thoughts when he noticed the first few snowflakes settling on Appa's idle reins. It was a relatively short trip to the South Pole from his home in the Southern Air Temple, only a day of flying on his bison. However, Aang found the journey to be rather nerve wracking as he found himself mired in his own headspace. The South Pole had, for many years, been a second home to the 17-year-old Avatar. Well, it had been, up until that night…

"Aang, I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do this anymore" said a teary eyed Katara.

"Can't do what?" Aang questioned, but he already had an idea of what his girlfriend was talking about.

"You know what I mean" she hissed. "It was one week the first time, then it was 3 weeks, then a month and half, and now its 3 months!" She said, sobbing. She knew what she had to do, but she didn't think it would hurt this much.

Aang grabbed her hand in both of his. "I know it's tough sweetie, it's hard for me too, but I have to be available to the world!" he said, his tone urgent and desperate.

Katara pried her hand away from his and with a sob, spoke. "I can't do this anymore Aang, I need some stability". She sobbed again and made her way to the door of the hut.

Aang fell to his knees with a cry. "Are you saying it's over?" he spurted out, his entire body wracking with a pain he had never felt before, as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest. "Please Katara, Please. I need you" he said whilst staring up at her from the floor.

Katara couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze, guilt spilling over her, she turned back to the door. "Goodbye Aang." She murmured through her own tears before stepping out into the dark, snowy night.

Aang shuddered at the memory. He had been burnt, bruised, even struck by lightning and killed, but nothing had hurt more than that, than having his heart broken by the person he loved more then life.

He pushed that painful memory to the back of his mind as he saw the outlines of ice bergs on the horizon. That was two years ago, but sometimes, in the middle of the night when he couldn't sleep, that same memory would invade his mind and torment him.

As he drifted over the ice on Appa, Aang came to an unsurprising realization. He was still totally in love with Katara. It was something that he had come to accept as a part of him that would live on forever, past his own lifetime. It was just a fact of life. But, unlike the tales he was told as a child, this eternal love was stained by anger and resentment, mainly towards himself but also partly, despite his best intentions, towards Katara.

Most would have laughed at him for this. Most would put the blame on their other half, but Aang couldn't bring himself to do it, it was wrong. Katara was right, she deserved stability, she deserved a home, something constant. Aang had hoped that he could be her constant, but evidently, that wasn't enough.

Now faced with meeting his lost love for the first time since that cold night two years before, Aang wondered how he would react to seeing her again. Would he maintain a front? Would he beg for a second chance? The truth was Aang didn't know how he would react and had resolved to playing it on instinct when the time came.

Aang scalded himself internally as he caught sight of the coastline which marked the beginning of the Southern Water Tribe. He had come for a potentially dangerous, and therefore very serious reason, and although seeing Katara was all he could really think of, he knew that this situation had the potential to escalate quickly.

He had received a letter from Sokka a day previously:

Aang,

I am sorry to write to you on such short notice, but there is an issue at the tribe that I believe requires your immediate attention.

To keep this short, there has been a mass of spiritual activity outside the walls of the tribe. Our people are becoming quickly unnerved, and I think that your presence would help calm the citizens.

Please come, Aang,

Your friend,

Sokka

Aang had hesitated at first upon reading Sokka's letter. He hoped that maybe this was some of Sokka's usual overreaction, and he secretly dreaded the thought of having to face Katara again, unsure if he'd be able to handle the emotional pain that would surely ensue.

However, after re-reading Sokka's letter a few times, Aang noticed the serious tone hidden behind the words he had written. They were nothing compared to Sokka's usual letters, ones filled with funny anecdotes and friendly advice. Sokka and Aang had maintained their strong brotherly bond after the breakup and had met up on various occasions over the past few years, but their main tool of communication was through letters and messenger hawks.

Aang had also noticed the distinct lack of Katara in this letter, a heavily featured topic that appeared in all of their correspondence.

No, this letter had an air of urgency, a serious tone. So Aang dropped his hesitation and immediately grabbed a few supplies before getting on Appa and leaving the Temple that night, but not before sending a hawk to Sokka saying that he would be arriving the next afternoon.

And so Aang found himself on Appa, descending towards the Southern Water Tribe, his feelings awry but a steely determination in his 17-year-old eyes showing that he was ready to face whatever challenges laid before him, whether they pertained to his love life or to spiritual mishaps.

XOXOXOXOXOX

A distinct fear had surrounded Katara for days. Not from the ominous spirits that surrounded her city, no, she had face plenty of those with the source of her fear.

How will he react? She thought to herself. It was a stupid question if she was being honest. There was no point in trying to imagine what would be. She knew better than that, but she couldn't help herself. Will he be angry? Will he be disappointed in me? The persistent question had been ringing in her ears for days, she had been unable to escape it.

The truth was, since learning that her brother wanted to invite him back to the South Pole to help with the spirit situation, she had been unable to do much of anything but ask herself that question. Unshed tears stung her throat as she was thrown back to that night two years before.

It was the toughest, most painful thing she had ever had to do, but she honestly thought it was what was best for her. She had tried to move on, to forget about him, to find some justification for her actions from that fateful night, but she simply couldn't. She still found herself losing sleep whilst thinking about him, found herself angry at him, found herself begging for his forgiveness.

It was her biggest regret. She realised shortly after dismissing him that she couldn't do anything but love him, but she had ruined that. She had cruelly pushed away the person who loved her more then anything. She knew she had broken Aang's heart that night, she could see it in the shattered visage that sat behind his storm-grey eyes. What she hadn't expected to do was break her own heart in the process.

Life had become dull without him. She yearned for him, and on many occasions found herself walking down to the dock to commandeer a vessel that would take her to him. She would always quickly drop that idea though, as she realised that the last person he would want to see would be her. And she hated herself for it, for putting him through so much pain.

The first emotion she felt when hearing of Aang's imminent arrival was joy. Maybe she would have a chance to set things right, to get him to forgive her. But this joy was quickly replaced with fear and doubt. What if he turns me down? What if he has shut me out? What if he moved on? With that thought, a wave of jealousy washed over her, but she quickly reprimanded herself. She had no right to be jealous, she had put them in that position, she had blamed and left him for something that he could not help.

So Katara decided that whatever happened, she would still try to rekindle their lost friendship. She decided she would be patient for him. And she decided that if their old type of love was no longer available, she would accept it and be understanding, no matter how much the thought of that hurt her.

It had been another sleepless night for her as she lay on her bed in the Southern Water Tribe palace and watched the sunlight slowly creep through the cracks in the ice blocks.

Katara nudged at her breakfast before retiring to her room again. She was still mulling things over in her mind when she was pulled from her own thoughts at the sound of a large groan overhead…

So, there it is! The first chapter of this new story. It feels good to have this one tucked under the belt. I apologise for this chapter being short, they will get longer as this story continues to grow. It was quite hard to write, lots of this story will be because I love nothing more than pure Kataang fluff, but I've had this idea in my head for a while now and I needed to get it onto paper. Review if you enjoyed!