Katara was praying that this was all a dream and she would wake up. She knew that she would see Aang eventually, but she sure as hell wasn't expecting him to be waiting for her in her new home and she certainly didn't want his first impression of her to be centered around her yelling at her brother like a lunatic. Unfortunately for her, this was as real as it gets.

"It's nice to see you again Master Katara," Aang said with a laugh as he walked over to her and embraced her in a warm hug that Katara melted into. "Although, I think it would be better if you called me Aang and I called you Katara. What do you think?" he asked playfully.

"Ok," she laughed nervously. "I'd like that."

Katara wasn't sure why she was all flustered. Was she star struck by being in the presence of the almighty Avatar? Or maybe she was just so utterly embarrassed about this whole situation that her emotions were running wild. Regardless, she was desperately trying to regain her composure before she did something even more embarrassing.

When they broke off their hug, she noticed that Sokka, Sukki, and Toph had resumed their conversation. She then brought her attention back to Aang and saw that the years had treated him rather kindly. He was a tall young man with a well-groomed beard that accentuated his chiseled jaw. He was wearing an orange and yellow tunic that exposed one of his bare shoulders revealing an arm packed with lean muscle.

She then noticed his eyes were studying her as well. They had the same playful twinkle she remembered 10 years ago, but the intensity they had as they examined her made her cheeks burn red. When silver met blue, the world stopped for a moment before they both quickly looked away.

"So…" Aang coughed to relieve them of the awkwardness. "Would you like some wine? We were supposed to wait until you got here, but unfortunately some of us lack patience," he said loud enough for the guilty parties to hear while giving them a death glare.

"Look Twinkle Toes, if you think I'm going to sit here and talk with these two love birds without some alcohol in me you're crazy," Toph said as she took another sip of her wine. "Plus, you don't mind, right Sugar Queen?"

"Sugar Queen…?" a confused Katara asked.

"Don't worry about it, she likes giving people nicknames," Aang whispered to Katara. "Isn't that right Melon Lord!?"

"I wouldn't start that with me Mr. Avatar," Toph said in daring tone.

At this point, Katara was bewildered with everything that was going on.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything," Katara said while trying to regain her bearings, "but what is this all about?"

"It's actually a pretty funny story" Aang chuckled. "Why don't we take a seat and I'll tell you all about it."

Katara nodded and took a seat next to Toph while Aang took his seat next to Suki.

"About a week ago…"

Flashback

"You seem to be in a good mood," Aang remarked, noticing the giddy smile on Suki's face as she walked into the city's training facility.

Suki's cheeks turned beet red. "What are you talking about Aang, I'm perfectly normal! There is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about my mood," she huffed and crossed her arms.

Aang looked at her in amusement and his lips formed into a knowing smirk.

"Ok fine," Suki sighed. "I met someone."

"Is that so?" Aang said, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Why are you sounding so shocked? Is it that crazy for a guy to be interested in me?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying he must be some guy if he has you this flustered," Aang teased.

"Would you shut up! He'll be here any minute. He came to the city specifically for advanced warrior training and… oh there he is!" Suki squealed as she saw the man in question and ran over to him.

"Hey Suki! I can't wait to start our training!" the man said as he was looking around the dojo. It was the most advanced dojo in the world as it was suited for benders of all types to train in and even non benders.

"I want you meet someone," Suki said as she dragged him over to Aang.

"Sokka, this is Aang. Aang this is Sokka."

Sokka's bronze skin went white. His only encounter with the Avatar was that fateful day 10 years ago when his sister broke him free of his icy prison. Sokka went on defensive overdrive and acted like a complete jerk towards the boy. Now, that same boy was standing here before him as a fully realized Avatar and the most powerful person on the planet. He gulped and stuck his hand out towards the Avatar hoping he wasn't one to hold a grudge. "It's nice to see you again Aang."

Aang's face was neutral as he stared at Sokka and gave him a firm traditional Water Tribe handshake.

"Wait, you guys have met before?" Suki asked wondering how they could have crossed paths.

"Yes we have," Aang said as he tightened his grip without breaking eye contact from Sokka. "10 years ago actually. Sokka here banished me from the Southern Water Tribe."

Sokka started to sweat as his arm began to lose feeling. The Avatar was staring daggers right through him and he couldn't stop himself from trembling in fear. He closed his eyes to try to regain his composure when out of nowhere the Avatar let go of his arm and erupted in laughter.

"Were you really afraid I was going to do something to you Sokka?"

"No!" Sokka responded quickly, causing an amused look from Aang. "Ok maybe. But you were totally trying to intimate me!"

"I wasn't planning on it, but I couldn't help it with the look on your face when you saw me," Aang laughed. "But seriously, it's good to see you."

"Really? Not that I mind or anything, but you don't hate me? I was kind of a jerk to you. Sorry about that by the way."

"I never hated you. You did what you thought was best for your people. And after everything I saw when I left, it was probably for the best you banished me. Who knows what could have happened if I stayed."

Sokka was relieved he didn't have to face the wrath of the Avatar and was even more surprised that he was starting to like him.

"I've heard that Katara will be moving here to become your tribe's representative on the council."

"Yup!" Sokka beamed proud of the young woman his sister had become. "She should be here next week."

"Awesome!" Aang shrieked grinning ear to ear. "We should have a little get together to celebrate her arrival."

"That sounds great! I'm actually crashing at her place while I'm here. We can have it there."

"Perfect. I'll let you guys start your training. You won't see me until our get together at Katara's. I'll be in the Fire Nation for the next few days helping out Firelord Zuko. Have fun while I'm gone Suki," Aang said while giving her a wink before he walked towards the exit.

"I thought you said you met Suki today? And why didn't you tell me you were planning on staying here?" Katara asked her brother in an accusing tone.

Sokka grinned sheepishly. "I did meet Suki today. It just wasn't for the first time. And I didn't think I needed permission to stay at my own sister's house!"

Before the siblings could continue arguing Aang spoke up. "Anyways, that's why we are here. A nice little celebration between friends welcoming you to Republic City."

Katara couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, this is really sweet of you guys."

"Unfortunately, right before you got here, a messenger hawk was sent for me and I'm going to have to head out," Aang said with a pinch of sadness.

"Oh." The joy that Katara was feeling evaporated. She wanted to catch up with Aang so badly about all that has happened since they met.

"I was wondering if you aren't doing anything tomorrow," Aang stuttered while scratching the back of his neck, "if you wanted to um, waterbend together?"

Katara beamed in response. "I'd love too! Although, I must warn you, I'm somewhat of a prodigy," she said nonchalantly with a smirk.

Aang smiled in return. "I've heard that as well. But I'd like to find out for myself. I'll pick you up at 10. How does that sound?"

"Great! I can't wait!" Katara's favorite thing in the entire world was waterbending and to be able to bend with the most powerful bender in the world was something she was eagerly looking forward to. And of course, any excuse to spend some alone time with Aang was a major bonus.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow," Aang said as he approached the door to leave. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Aang."

For the next few hours, the four remaining friends chatted and enjoyed the few bottles of wine Aang had brought. Katara got along great with Suki and Toph and was relieved she was making friends so quickly. By the time Suki and Toph left, Sokka had already fallen asleep on the couch. She sighed and brought a spare blanket to cover him and keep him warm.

It was a long day and Katara was completely out of energy. She went to the master bedroom and remembered that she still hadn't even had time to unpack yet. Too tired to care, she flopped onto the bed that didn't even have covers and was out like a light.

Katara woke up to the sounds and smells of someone cooking. She got out of bed and walked into the kitchen to see her brother hard at work. "What's the occasion?" Katara asked as she walked into the kitchen. Her brother wasn't much of a chef and she couldn't recall a time he cooked for the two of them.

"Why can't I do something nice for you without you thinking I have some ulterior motive?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Jee I don't know, maybe it's because every time you do something like this there is always something you want in return."

Sokka shoved her a plate of eggs and bread. "Eat this before I eat it for you."

Katara took a bite and grimaced. "The eggs are undercooked." Katara said dryly.

Sokka glared at her with steam coming out of his ears. He took a bite of his eggs only to find out his sister was right. "Ok you're right. They are a little undercooked. But you know what? At least I tried!"

"I'm sorry Sokka, you're right. Thank you for this wonderful meal with perfectly cooked eggs," Katara sarcastically replied, earning another glare from her brother.

After eating the so-so breakfast, Katara decided to do some yoga. She had about an hour to kill until Aang was there to pick her up and yoga helped relax her. She hated the fact that she was nervous since not too many people got to interact with the Avatar this closely. Although she didn't feel nervous that she was bending with the Avatar. She was nervous because it was him.

Her initial impressions of him were quite positive. The years appeared to treat him rather kindly and the kindness in his eyes was undeniable. But for all she knew, all that was a facade for the darkness that lied within. Although what were his impressions of her?

Hopefully the yelling part at her brother was water under the bridge and not something he would hold onto the back of his mind. And why did she call him Avatar Aang? It just slipped out of her

As promised, Aang was at her house at 10am on the dot."You ready?" Aang asked with a huge smile on his face.

"Yup!" When Katara closed the door behind her, she noticed that Aang wasn't alone. "We're going on Appa?"

Aang grinned as the pair walked towards his massive furry companion. "Of course. He's the fastest way to get around the city. Plus, you never got to see Appa fly. You remember Katara buddy?" Appa rumbled in response and licked Katara when she got close enough.

"I guess that's a yes," Katara said as she smiled. "It's good to see you too Appa." As she continued to pet Appa, another one of Aang's furry companions flew onto Katara's shoulder causing her to yelp.

"That's Momo, my flying lemur," Aang said joyfully. "He kinda does whatever he wants.

Katara started to pet the lemur's head. "Nice to meet you too Momo."

After a few moments of petting, Momo flew back onto Appa's saddle. Aang airbended himself onto the saddle and offered his hand to Katara. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded and took his hand so he could hoist her up. When she was settled into the saddle, Aang lept to the top of his companion's head. "Appa, Yip Yip!"

Katara squealed when Appa burst into the sky. She had never experienced anything remotely close to this. The effortless speed that Appa was able to fly at was a sight to behold. The fear was quickly replaced with pure glee. As good as the wind felt when she was sailing in the ocean, it was nothing compared to a few hundred feet above the ground on Appa's saddle.

Aang guided them to an island just off the coast and landed Appa on the island's shore. It was the most beautiful stretch of land Katara had ever seen. The way the sun was

"This is my island," Aang said as he noticed Katara's eyes in awe.

She turned to him. "You have a whole island for yourself?" she asked.

"Not exactly. I have something special in the works, but it's best I keep it private for now." When he noticed the hurt expression on her face, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll find out eventually. I promise. Now how about we have some fun."

Katara nodded and smiled. When she saw Aang remove his tunic, her body went numb. In the bitter cold of the South Pole, waterbending was always done in heavy layers. Seeing Aang casually strip caught her off guard, but she didn't mind the view one bit.

She felt like a creep staring at him as he carefully folded his tunic and headed into the water, but she couldn't stop herself. Aang's body was truly one of a kind. His tall frame was packed with lean muscle thanks to years of training with all of the elements. The signature blue airbender tattoos complimented his pale skin perfectly and were glistening in the sun.

Eventually, she shook out of the trance Aang had put her in and removed her clothes until she was just in her bindings.

"Have you done much surfing in the South Pole?" Aang asked.

She shot him a puzzled look. "Um… no. Is that some sort of advanced waterbending form?"

"Not exactly," he replied with a massive grin. He then leapt into the air and created an ice board beneath his feet to glide across the water's surface to about 100 yards away from Katara. Using waterbending, he created a massive wave and rode it all the way back to her with the goofiest smile Katara had ever seen plastered on his face.

"Get the idea?" he asked.

Katara nodded enthusiastically before she copied what he did and started to surf. It took a bit getting used to, but it didn't take long for her to get the hang of it. The duo surfed for a few hours and it was the most fun Katara had since she penguin sledded with Aang 10 years ago.

After they were tired out from surfing, they decided to do some relaxing waterbending movements. The pair started with a simple push and pull exercise by passing an orb of water back and forth.

"I'm sorry I never got a chance to visit," Aang said as he looked up into her blue eyes once they were settled into their movements.

Katara gave him a soft smile. "It's ok Aang. I wasn't expecting any special treatment. We only knew each other for a day, and I can only imagine how busy you have been. Plus, you were able to find me a waterbending master!"

"It was the least I could do for the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Aang, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why didn't you tell me you were the Avatar?"

The second she finished the question, Aang's warm expression went cold and his smile vanished. There was a moment of silence before he answered her.

"I never wanted to be," he whispered just loud enough for Katara to hear.

Katara was completely puzzled. She would have thought that being the Avatar would be the greatest blessing in the world. Aang saw the wheels spinning in her head and knew what she was thinking.

"When the monks told me I was the Avatar, everything changed. I didn't really know how to process what that meant for me, but I did see what that meant for my friends," he said choking up a little unable to meet Katara's gaze.

"As soon as they found out, they no longer wanted to play with me because they thought it would be unfair. They looked at me differently even though I was the same old Aang they loved. The monks were the same. They didn't want Aang anymore; they needed the Avatar."

Another uncomfortable silence occurred between the two before Aang spoke up again.

"I guess I was afraid you would do the same. I wanted you to see me as who I was and not what I was."

Katara was well versed in Aang's story of how he accidentally got frozen for a hundred years while running away. But the history books weren't very detailed and Katara was starting to understand why.

"I'm so sorry Aang. I can only imagine what that must have been like for you," Katara said. She noticed he was still unable to meet her gaze so she dropped the orb back into the water so she could grab his attention. When their eyes met, she continued.

"I can't say how I would have reacted if you would have told me you were the Avatar back then. But what I can say standing in front of you now is that I see Aang; the same goofy airbender I met 10 years ago," she said with a warm smile.

"Thank you," he replied sincerely and returned her smile. "There aren't too many people who can say that. Being the Avatar will always be a part of me, but I just wished people would see that I'm not that much different from them."

"Do you wish you never were the Avatar?" Katara asked hesitantly.

"No," Aang answered immediately. "Being the Avatar is a part of who I am just like being a waterbender is for you. Instead of continuing to run away from my destiny, I've accepted and embraced that part in my life, and it has allowed me to become the man I am today."

"I don't know how you do it," Katara said looking down into the water.

"Do what?"

"Be you. Despite what happened to your people and despite having the weight of the world placed on your shoulders as a 12-year-old boy, you're still able to be the most fun person I've ever been around."

Aang gave her a small smile before he answered her. "I never let what happened to me destroy my spirit. I chose to find meaning in my suffering; and eventually with the help of my friends, I found peace."

"That seems so difficult."

"It is. I couldn't have done it alone. I'm lucky enough to have friends that always had my back."

"Still, your situation seems a lot darker than anyone else's."

"My friend General Iroh once told me that life is like a dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of it, but if you just keep moving," Aang said as he summoned another orb from the water so they could resume their push and pull exercise, "you will come to a better place."

There was a long silence as the pair continued their exercise. Katara thought very carefully about Aang's wise words and how they applied to her life. Without realizing it, she has in her own way followed that principle. When her mother died, it shattered her world. While the grief will always be with her, in a sad way, what happened that day made her stronger. The determination to be the best waterbender in the world and the passion to never turn her back on those that need her all stemmed from her mother's murder.

Aang noticed the tears that began to well in her eyes. "Are you ok?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"Yes," she sniffled wiping away tears with her hands. "I was just thinking about my mom. She was murdered by the Fire Nation in a raid about six years before I met you. She died protecting me."

"I'm sorry. The 100 Year War brought on so much senseless violence." His words were filled with guilt ridden anger. "I've spent so much time wondering if I was never frozen, what would've changed. It took Spirits knows how long to realize that type of thinking wouldn't do anyone any good. I'm here now and I will always do my best to be the best Avatar I can be."

There was another stretch of silence.

"Have you ever heard of chakras?" Katara shook her head before he continued. "Unlocking them with the help of a guru was the key for me to enter the Avatar State."

Katara nodded for him to go on unable to meet his concerned gaze wondering where he was going with this.

"One of them is called the Air Chakra. It deals with love and it is blocked by grief."

As soon as he finished that sentence, her tear-filled eyes slowly traveled up to meet his.

"It hurts to lose people we love. But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. Your mother's love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart and is reborn in the form of new love."

More tears began to well in Katara's eyes, but they felt… good. Before she knew it Aang had walked over to her and wrapped her in a comforting hug. She continued to cry into his chest and wrapped her arms around his bare torso.

The two stayed in their embrace for a solid five minutes before they decided it was time to return home. The ride back on Appa was in comfortable silence and Katara never felt more peaceful than she was riding on Appa with Aang.

Appa landed in front of Katara's house where Aang airbended himself off him to help Katara down.

"I'm glad we got to do this," Katara said as they approached her door.

"Me too. And don't worry, it's far from the last."

Katara smiled as she looked into Aang's grey eyes. She didn't know what came over her, but she quickly stood on her tippy toes and gave him a peck on the cheek.

She giggled at the goofy expression on his face. "Goodbye Aang."

It took a moment for Aang to regain his composure. "Goodbye Katara," he said as she walked into her house and closed the door behind her.

She leaned her back against the door still grinning from ear to ear. Even though she had only spent two days with Aang, it felt like they shared a special connection. She couldn't quite put her finger on exactly what it was, but she couldn't have asked for their reunion to have gone any better.