A/N. I'M BACK ! Long week, but it was good! Now, I have written several chapters for each story, but I'll have to correct them before posting so, tomorrow it will be The Path after the Battle, and today, a chapter that was laying around!
What if we kissed?
Aang stood there. Not managing to think, not knowing what to say. His brain only managed to think one thing, and it was an image of himself dancing around. Yeah, he had gone crazy.
He felt his hands tremble, and his heart pound in his chest.
"Us… kissing…" Aang said, while imagining the feeling. This was too good to be true. But when he looked at Katara, he saw the hurt look in her eyes. He realized with a shock what this looked like. For her, he was giving her a way out…
"See, it was a crazy idea." She said. The airbender heard the hurt in her voice. He wanted to hug her, tell her everything was alright. He wanted to kiss her.
"Us kissing! What was I thinking? Can you imagine it?" the waterbender laughed, but it sounded wrong to Aang. Like she didn't find it funny at all.
The airbender shuffled from one foot to the other. He had imagined kissing her. Many times… He had tried to create some moments to set the mood. He had tried to get her to watch the Northern Lights with him. But Sokka and Yue had invited themselves, and Aang hadn't got a chance to be alone with Katara. He had got the impression she wasn't really into it, because each time he had tried, there was an excuse, or Sokka came with them.
And now she had suggested herself… And taken it back because of his hesitation. He had to try to save the situation. Make her feel like it wasn't because of her.
"Yeah… I definitely wouldn't want to kiss you." He chuckled nervously. Spirits, why? That was the exact opposite of what he had needed to say!
Katara's expression got through several emotions. He saw hurt, sadness, shame. But the last emotion was anger. And it stayed on that one. He had never seen her glare at him like that. Nor at Sokka. The only time she had looked so angry was when Jet did what he had done… Oh Spirits…
"Oh! Well, I didn't realize it was such a horrible option!" She shouted at him, hands on her hips. Aang felt himself shrink. He was ashamed of the words he had uttered. How stupid had he been…
"I'm sorry I suggested it!" She continued to shout. He had to salvage the situation. He had been so close to what he wanted…
"No! No! I mean… If there was a choice between kissing you and dying…" The words hadn't even left his mouth before he realized the trouble he was in. The waterbender was glaring at him with an expression he didn't recognize. It took him a moment, before he settled on pure rage.
She turned away from him, grumbling lowly about something like otter seal shit…. Stupid airbender… Gonna shove an ice dagger somewhere where the sun doesn't shine.
He was in trouble.
"I meant it as a compliment!" He tried. Aang heard the desperation in his own voice. And Katara didn't seem to like it either. She turned back to him, huffing.
"Well, I'm not sure which I would rather do!" She shouted at him. Shoving the torch in his hand, she walked away, into the darkness.
"I know what I would rather do…" He whispered, but he heard nothing from the darkness except the receding footsteps towards Appa. He turned around, looking up at the statues. There he was, finally hearing what he had wanted to hear for months… And now, he had ruined it for himself. And for Katara.
Love is brightest in the dark. Well… Not for him apparently. He liked her, maybe even more than liked her… But he had resigned himself to the fact that she wouldn't be interested. How could she? Katara was a year older, beautiful and intelligent. And sweet. And fierce. She did not accept when someone would disrespect her. Katara… in his eyes, she was perfect.
Just then, he heard it. A muffled sob.
He had done that. He had to make it alright…
Walking towards Appa, he saw the dark outline of the waterbender against the white fur. She had her back turned to him. When a reached her, he gently scrapped his throat, to make sure she had heard him.
She didn't turn around or say anything.
"K-Katara?" He whispered, softly putting a hand on her arm. The girl just shook off the hand. Yeah… Understandable.
"I didn't… I didn't mean it like that… I just… I was surprised. I didn't think you would suggest that." That sounded better than choice between kissing you and dying.
Katara still didn't look at him, but she straightened, squaring her shoulders. She turned around, but the look was cold. In the light of the torch, Aang managed to see that her eyes were red.
"Come on. We need to get out of here." She said, in a very serious tone. With that, she turned and left the tomb.
Appa looked at him, and Aang could nearly hear the Sky bison berate him.
"I know boy… I screwed up." He murmured, before following Katara. He didn't manage to catch up, because she was walking very fast. The airbender could have easily run up to her, but he sensed she would rather stay alone.
Appa pushed him in the back, and he turned around. The bison looked at him as if to say, "Go make that alright. Otherwise, you'll have to walk from now on."
Aang walked a bit faster and managed to catch up to Katara. The torch in his hand fluttered, and as he looked, the fire died a little. Their light was going out… When that would happen, they would not only be lost in a maze of tunnels, but also in the dark... It was at these kinds of moments that the airbender regretted having sworn off firebending. With his luck today, he would probably burn off Katara's eyebrows or something.
"Our light is going out…" He whispered, and in the dying light, Aang could see the waterbender's eyes had lost the hard, cold look. The soft blue was back, and she was gazing at him.
"What are we going to do?" he sighed, knowing that any moment, he would never again look into those blue eyes… He didn't know why, but that thought hurt him more than the idea of dying down in the earth, without having seen the sky once again…
"What can we do?" Katara's voice answered him, just in front of him. He could see every detail of her face in the light that was quickly fading. Every little line, the bags around her eyes from all what happened today. To him, she never looked more beautiful.
Just before the light died, Aang felt her hand on the one he was holding the torch with. Just before the light went out, Katara looked at him, with such an intense gaze that he felt his knees go weak. And then, darkness.
This was the moment. He was going to die. So, why not try?
He moved his head gently forward, and just then, hair touched his shoulder, where the fabric of his tunic was torn. Katara was also moving towards him!
The airbender didn't even process that thought when he felt the briefest brush of lips against his own. She had kissed him. Katara had kissed him.
Every thought he could have had went out of the window, and his instinct just took over. He moved his had forwards and felt her lips again. The hand which was on his moved, and he felt her fingers intertwine with his own. He moved his lips, and Aang could feel Katara press gently against him.
The airbender moved his other hand and found her waist. Gently pressing his hand against it, he pulled her even closer. Katara was now pressed firmly against him, answering the kiss with as much enthusiasm as he himself felt. The whirlwind of emotions inside of him neatly made him faint.
He didn't know how long they stood there, kissing. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? He didn't care. He didn't want to stop. But through his closed eyelids he could see a faint blue glow. Katara stepped away from him, and Aang opened his eyes, at the same moment as the waterbender.
Looking up, he saw a line of roughly diamond shaped minerals, leading towards the tunnel on the right.
"It's made of some kind of crystal! They must only light up in the dark!"
Spirits, why didn't he think of that! Omashu was known for their glowing crystals! He had learnt that at the Southern Air Temple when he was just a child! That was why he had wanted to visit! And how he had got to know Bumi!
"That's how the two lovers found each other! They just put out their lights and followed the crystals!" Katara nearly jumped up and down in relief. She pointed towards the tunnel on the right
"That must be the way out!" She turned towards him, releasing his hand that she was still holding, and he felt her arms encircle him. Aang smiled, and also put his hands around her. He couldn't think. Not only had they survived the maze, but also, maybe, this was going to change other things….
"So… uhm…" the airbender began. They had already wasted the day inside the tunnels, why not at some more minutes and figure out what had happened between them? Maybe, just maybe… The legend of the two lovers would make this possible for him.
"Let's go!" Katara shouted, rather quickly. Before she turned towards the tunnel, Aang saw that her face was red. Then, she took off, with Appa following quickly behind.
He was left standing there. Forcing himself the take steps forwards, the airbender began to follow Katara and the Sky Bison.
They had kissed! He knew he had a crush on the waterbender, and he had tried several times to act on those feelings. But what did she feel? Did Katara like him, in the same way as he did her? Or was it just an idea to get out of the maze? No. No, that kind of kiss didn't come from pure logical thinking. No, the kiss they had shared wasn't purely scientific thinking. That was… Love.
Love.
The feeling hit him like a ten-ton sky bison. Spirits… He loved her!
But what did she feel?
Before he could even think about that, he saw light at the end of the tunnel. Appa's bellow was loud and echoed through the tunnel. Smiling to himself, Aang walked faster and emerged in the sunlight at the same moment that Katara did.
The late afternoon sun greeted them and the airbender had to half close his eyes against the sudden light. Through the sunlight and his half-closed eyes, Aang could see Appa fall on his back, without caring that he still carried the saddle. Chuckling, the airbender made his way to his Sky Bison, and petted him on his exposed belly.
Turning around, he saw Katara stand next the tunnel, her arm around herself, eyes closed, and face turned towards where the sun was shining. Time stood still.
He couldn't help it, but the revelation in the tunnels haunted him. What did she want to do now? Did Water Tribe culture allow this kind of thing? Air Nomads had always been rather open about their feelings to one another he remembered, but what about her culture?
She wouldn't care about tradition. She would do whatever she wanted, even if it was against the beliefs of her people. Katara's actions on the North pole had proven that…
But what would she do?
Walking over to her, he gently touched her shoulder to attract her attention. Katara's eyes flew open, and she blushed. Even he could tell…
"What about Sokka?" Aang asked quietly. This was a safer subject. They could discuss… whatever this was… later.
His words had just left his mouth, and Katara hadn't even had time to respond, when the side of the mountain exploded.
Two bagdermoles, looking like the creatures on the panels in the tomb, emerged. On one, where the nomads, and on the other, a waving Sokka, and Momo who flew directly towards Appa.
Katara ran towards her brother, and when he jumped down, she pulled him into a hug.
"How did you get out?" The water tribe asked, looking from his sister to Aang.
Exhaling slowly, the airbender knew his answer would be a telltale for anyone who thought about for more than two minutes.
"Just like the legend says…. We let love lead the way." He said, looking at Katara, who smiled shyly and turned away, again blushing.
"Really? We let huge ferocious beast lead our way!" Sokka answered, clueless at the airbender's words.
The nomads left rather quickly. Chong embraced Sokka, telling him not to let plans get in the way of the journey.
"The journey is the magical part my dear Sokka… The destination is not important." The nomad said, sounding wise for someone who would surely hit the cactus juice every now and then.
Looking at the group walking away, Aang couldn't help but think of other nomads… His people, whose beliefs were actually quite close to what Chong had said.
"… Even if you're lost, you can't lose the love because it's in your heart…" The rest of the song disappeared in the wind.
Aang couldn't help it, but he was looking at Katara. He had been lost. Since the iceberg, he had not thought about what this meant to him. He had closed up, not talking about the air nomads. Keeping them in his heart, but never talking about them. He had even forgone the rituals on sacred days, only saying the words and the songs in his head, afraid of showing what those things did to him.
I'll do them again. I will tell the legends, the history and the ceremonies. I'll talk about those whom I loved… to the one I love now.
He vowed this.
They began to walk the last part of the journey, and when they arrived at the mountain top in front of Omashu, Sokka ran up, shouting, "Lady and Gentleman! Let me present to you, the Earth kingdom city of... Oh no!"
Sokka face had gone pale. Aang sighed and walked over the crest. Before even seeing it, he knew what would greet him. Yet again, a piece of his childhood gone, burnt away.
Answers :
Gabriela N. Gonzalez : Oh, I was going to have the awkward Aang moment lol! I just wanted to do that from his perspective. From now on, the chapters will me more spaced out, and not a continuing thing. Like the next one will not pick up directly at getting into Omashu, but rather the night at the camp with Tom Tom.
Ashley Barbosa: I believe he dug a hole, but here, he rather quickly got out of it lol!
CoyotLemon : Yeah! This scene and the cave scene! Just perfection!