Alright Benders and Non-Benders. I know, I know, it has been some time since I last updated. I have some words to say if you will allow me. First off, thank you so much for the support, you're reviews are MINT! I really enjoyed reading them. Secondly, some of you have requested me to upload asap, which I love. No seriously, it makes me happy :D to see how much people want more of my story, it tells me that I'm doing a decent job. Thirdly, one of you have asked me about being able to upload 5 chapters in a week, yet unable to do the same with one chapter. Totally understandable and I'd like to explain that. You see, at the time of which I uploaded those 5 chps, I was off work, meaning I had the time to do said chps. I had to go back to work last week, but I did want to upload at least one chp for that, though as you could see, that didn't work out. GOOD NEWS though, I am now officially off work for the winter, because I can't work on a Golf Course when there's snow. So I'll be able to upload normally... somewhat. I mean, I think I'll upload twice per week and we'll see how that works. Lastly, I will say that I am at fault for making you all wait, but we'll say that I am not and instead put the blame on my brother. ;)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one, which does have a tiny bit of fluff, just a bit. So enjoy and please review!
Warmth, that's the first thing Aang felt upon waking up. Laying under the massive comforter, Aang opened his eyes slightly. However, he couldn't quite see properly, due to his mind being hazy and vision blurred. He was laying on his left side, back facing the balcony, Aang closed his eyes, feeling very comfortable in the bed. His mind began to replay the events of last night; running through the castle, officially meeting Katara, having his blood drained by said vampire. Though, he couldn't help the small smile. After last night, after the day before, after so many months and years, he finally had someone to call a 'friend.' Despite said person being a supernatural being, capable of ripping him apart in seconds.
As these thoughts continued, Aang slightly moved, trying to get more comfortable, if possible. However, he noticed something 'off.' In his dazed state after waking up, he didn't realize that he was being held. Opening his eyes, clearly more awake than before, Aang saw that he was up against something or rather 'someone.' Slender arms wrapped around him, one hand on the back of his head, while the other was over his back, holding him close, his own arm was actually wrapped around her lower back. From what Aang saw from his position, his head was tucked under her chin, he felt his legs tangled with hers. His heart rate was speeding as he realized who it was.
"Good morning Aang." She said calmly, her eyes were closed, a small smile plastered on her face.
He tried to move so he can look up to see her, though this proved to be difficult as she continued to hold him in place. "G-Good morning, Katara." He greeted, clearly nervous due to their position… in bed… under the covers.
Still smiling, Katara opened her eyes, staring at the balcony entrance, where the morning sun was shining through the glass doors, lighting the room. She turned her head down, her nose in his hair. "How did you sleep?" She asked, lightly inhaling his scent, feeling his heart beat soundly.
Hearing her question, Aang struggled to respond. After all, he was laying in a massive bed, with a beautiful girl, holding him close to her. "I-It was nice. You know, a-after everything that h-happened last night." He stuttered a little, due to Katara holding him so close.
Katara could only giggle at that, he seemed to be more shy than any human she'd seen before. "Well, I'm glad you got to rest. You've been through quite the ordeal last night." She stated playfully, wanting to enjoy her time with him.
Feeling that he was still tired, Aang wanted to go back to sleep, however a question came to mind. "W-What time is it?" He asked, ready to fall asleep in her arms.
Katara raised her head, looking at the balcony entrance, where sunlight shined through the glass doors. "It seems like it's a few hours past sunrise." She answered, lowering her head back down on his.
With a jolt, Aang shot up, causing Katara to lose her grip on him and be thrown back a bit in surprise. "Past sunrise!? That means I'm late!" Aang called out in panic, trying to get out of bed. However he found this to be difficult, due to his legs being tangled with Katara's and still being weak after losing so much blood.
Snapping out of her state of shock, Katara saw that Aang was about to fall off the bed. Quick as a wink, Katara grabbed his arm and pulled him back, catching him and forcing him to lay back down in the bed. Laying on his back, while Katara was straddling his stomach, her hands on his shoulders.
"Aang, calm down. What are you late for?" She asked, wondering why he seemed stressed.
Looking up at her he started to explain. "I'm late for my classes, I was supposed to start class at 8:00am, but it's probably 9:00am. Meaning I already have some catching up to do." Aang stated, though he saw confusion all over Katara's face.
"Classes as in school classes? Aren't you an adult, why do you have to go to school?" She asked with a raised brow.
At this, Aang quickly remembered that Katara is unaware of how much things have changed. "Oh right, I guess you've been 'away' for awhile, let me explain." Aang started, he talked about the different schools, like primary, high school and college and the programs it provides and how he dreams about becoming a writer.
"Alright, so you need to pass your courses and than complete a test at the end?" Katara asked, trying to make sure she got the information correctly.
"Yeah, I have to get going, I'll need to head back to my place to grab my things, so I'll be at school in an hour or so." Aang said a bit sadly, he didn't want to leave Katara alone in the castle.
"Alright, than let's go!" Katara said with a smile, excitement clear on her face.
"Wait, what?" Aang asked, completely dumbfounded.
"You need to go to school right? So just take me with you. It's a great opportunity to see how the village has changed." She answered, her smile widening.
Katara got out of bed, leaving Aang and headed for the door.
"W-Wait, Katara, hold on-" Aang tried to call out to her while getting out of bed. However as he got on his feet, he became dizzy, his vision blurred, legs feeling like jello. He began to fall to the floor.
Looking over her shoulder, Katara saw Aang was about to fall. With a silent gasp, she ran and caught Aang in a second. Holding him up and allowing him to lean on her for support.
"Aang, are you alright."She asked, worried about her new friend. Getting him seated on the bed.
"Y-Yeah, I'm just a little tired." He responded, breathing heavily.
"You're still recovering from losing blood. Why don't you rest today and we can go out tomorrow." Katara suggested, not wanting Aang to strain himself.
Aang shook his head in the negative. "No, I'll be fine. I have to get some other things done today." Aang tried to assure her, though she seemed reluctant.
"Alright, if you're sure. We should get going than." She said, getting off the bed.
"K-Katara, I think you should stay here." Aang said, scratching the back of his neck.
"What? Why? I thought you were going to show me how much the village has changed." Katara said, confused as to why he would want her to stay in the castle.
"I will, but I can't take you to school with me, because my teachers won't allow you in class." He tried to explain, he was also worried about her being alone in the school with a bunch of college students.
"Aang, you're still recovering, you shouldn't be going out in the first place. If you go out, than I'm going with you." She stated, arms crossed, determination in her eyes. The only reason she was willing to let him go was because she would be with him, so if anything happened, she'd be right there to deal with it.
"Katara, I promise I'll be fine. I won't strain myself for anything." He tried to assure her, however he saw the worried expression on her face. "How about I just go to school for today, it ends at 1:30pm. Than I'll head back to my place and get some rest." He said with a smile, hoping Katara will let him go.
Katara seemed like she wasn't going to allow it. However, her expression softened, yet still stern. "Alright, but on one condition; I want you to come straight back here." She told him, leaving no room to argue.
Thinking about her condition, Aang figured it would be best. After all, if Katara decided to go out by herself and people found out about her being a vampire, it could be trouble.
"Alright, that's fair. I'll be back by 2:00pm, I promise." He said with a smile, causing her to smile as well.
Aang got back on his feet, feeling like a small gust of wind could knock him over. He'll just have to take it easy and not be very active. Katara escorted him through the castle to the massive entrance. As Aang put his hand on the handle to open the door, he found that they were still sealed shut. This caused Aang to turn to Katara and ask a question that's been bothering him.
"Katara, how are the doors sealed? When I got here yesterday, you couldn't have locked them yourself, right?" Aang asked, he wanted to know how she shut the doors when she was nowhere near them last night.
Letting out a small giggle, Katara replied. "The castle is my territory, it's enchanted with spirit energy, allowing me to control any part of the castle." She explained with a cheery voice.
"Spirit energy?" Aang repeated, now becoming curious.
Her smile widened. "Don't worry, there will be time to explain that at a later date. For now, you need to get going, before I change my mind." She stated, snapping her figures, causing the doors to open.
Aang was stunned, just how many abilities does she have? Well, he guessed that he'll find out eventually. For now, he needed to get to school. The two said their goodbye's and Aang headed out. Katara closed the doors and watched him walk away from a window beside the entrance, her smile still intact.
"You better come back, because I'm not done with you yet." She said, as she closed her eyes and began to imagine all the things they'll do together.
Aang got to his apartment and grabbed his bag full of books. He checked the time and it turns out he was a bit off when he said it was 9:00am, it was later. It was almost 11:00am, there wasn't much time left for classes, but he decided to go anyway. Since he could still get some work done, plus he needed to find a job. However, he'll have to work on that later, since he wanted to keep his promise to Katara. He was about to leave, when he saw the picture of his parents on the desk. Walking to the desk, he grabbed the picture and brushed his hand over it, putting on a sad smile. "Hey mom and dad, I'm sorry if I worried you last night, but I'm fine. Actually, I made a new friend. I'll tell you everything later, right now I need to get going. I love you both." He said, gently setting the picture back down.
Making his way to school, his mind was filled, from keeping up with his studies, getting a job, helping Katara. Speaking of which, he wasn't sure how to help her. He knows he can show her around town and help her get used to living here, but the problem was that she's a vampire. If people found out, the town could go into a state of chaos and potentially, people might try to attack her. Aang knew that people tend to lash out when they're faced with something they don't understand. They let fear consume them and since vampires are known for hunting humans and taking their blood in the night, Aang guessed that the people would be less reasonable. Understandable really, Aang was under the same impression when he first saw Katara. Though now that he thought about it, Katara was almost the opposite of what he'd expect of a vampire. True she drinks blood and has supernatural abilities, but he expected her to be mean, cold, emotionless, etc. Instead, she was kind, cheerful, relaxed, etc.
'Even so, she did kill Jet. Who knows what she'll do if she meets other people. She was nice to me, but that doesn't mean she will be for everyone. I did just meet her, so I'll have to be careful.' He thought, even though he felt like he could trust her with his life. It didn't make sense, for some reason Aang felt like he's known Katara forever. He had just met her, he only spent a few hours with her. From being hunted down, scared for his life, to being in the same bed as her, becoming friends, allowing her to take his blood and even wake up the next morning in her arms as though it was natural. True, he can honestly admit that he was attracted to her, but was that the reason? Was he simply overlooking her being a vampire because of an attraction? Was this another ability she had, to make him trust her without realizing it? Was it something more than just a feeling, did he and Katara have some kind of connection? Aang didn't know and it was starting to freak him out.
"Aang!" Someone called out, causing Aang to snap out of his thoughts and look in the direction the voice came from.
"Zuko?" Aang questioned in surprise, he was so caught up in thought, he didn't realize he was through the entrance of the college building.
Zuko rushed over to him, he was heading for his next class when he saw Aang come in through the front doors.
"You're late, it's almost 11:30am. Where have you been?" He asked, since normally Aang never missed a class.
"Um, I slept in." Aang said, trying to avoid talking about the events of last night.
Zuko seemed a bit suspicious of him, but than sighed. "Yeah, I can see that. I can imagine you've been staying up, since you're probably stressed out after what happened yesterday." He said understandingly, as Aang mentally sighed in relief. Glad that he won't have to go into further detail.
"So how are you holding up?" Zuko asked concerned, he hoped that Aang wasn't in a state of depression.
Aang smiled softly. "I'll be alright, I just need to find a new job and hopefully pay for the rent of my apartment." He said, trying to be as optimistic as possible.
"That's a relief, I'm glad you're not down anymore." Zuko said smiling, happy to see Aang in a better mood. He wanted to tell Aang the good news about his Uncle offering him a job, but decided to wait until classes were over.
"Yeah, anyway we should get to class." Aang stated, as he began to walk through the building, with Zuko following after him.
It was quiet now, with only the crackle of the fire place in the living area of the castle. Katara sat in a chair, deep in thought. You'd think she'd spend the time cleaning, since her castle hasn't been in use for years. However, within the hour, the castle looked to be in prime condition. There wasn't a speck of dust, the furniture almost seemed brand new and Katara was now in a dark blue, Victorian style dress.
She stayed on the chair, looking into the fire. She thought about when she first woke up, talking with Aang, chasing him through the castle, having him in her bed, becoming friends with him. Though if she were to be honest, she wanted to be more than friends. When she first spoke to him, their was a gentleness to his voice, even though he was frightened of her at the time. Most humans would have screamed or lashed out at her, but Aang seemed to think things through rather than panic. When she caught him at the door, he was ready to defend himself, rather than just attack her carelessly. Also, there was his resolve, even though he was cornered, he didn't give up and tried to find another solution to escaping the castle. She couldn't help but be curious about him, where did his resolve come from? Why is he so different than other humans that she's met?
"Aang" She spoke, every time she said his name, a smile would form on her lips. She knew she was attracted to him, despite just meeting him. She already knew a few things about him, he was kind, smart, gentle, handsome. Her curiosity was peeked, she wanted to know more about him. Even so, it was like she already knew him, she felt as though she's known him forever, like they were two best friends since childhood. She knew this was more than a simple attraction, she knew what Aang was to her. The only thing that explains what she's feeling, is something that appears only once in a vampires life time.