What do you see in him?

"I don't get what you see in him."

A frown found itself replacing the smile plastered on her face; incessant ramblings of her friends' drilling holes into her brain, and her stress relief was preparing to leave for who knew how long. Of course, he was more than that to her – her goofy airbender, her accomplished Avatar, her best friend, her compass, her centre… and more than she'd wish to reveal.

"I'll be sure to do that, Chief Hakoda," he shared a tradition watertribe handshake with her father. She grinned, pleased to know they were getting along so well – even though they'd essentially hit it off immediately; the looping worry that something may go wrong, perhaps a difference of opinion or ignorance towards culture remained. However, to her utter relief, her father and the Avatar were nothing but cordial and respectful with each other. If not that, then judging by the way they were now laughing at the 'dad' joke Hakoda had made, to an objective viewer, nothing but a natural friendship could be conveyed.

"Alright, I guess I'm off then," the soft yet disarming voice belonging to the boy of her thoughts tore her away from her daydream. She lifted her dipped head to meet his eyes – bright silver, dazzling and alluring.

"Yeah," she sighed, still disappointed and slightly crestfallen he'd have to leave – she could go with him, but her duty was to her tribe; to help rebuild her village and reconnect their severed ties with their sister tribe. The war had left many scars upon the world, two nations in particular had been cut deep, and the representatives of those two nations were now pleading the spirits for insight; an alternative perhaps, one that wouldn't force them to separate for another unknown, torturous time frame.

"It'll only be for a few months though," he smiled – it was forced. She knew he was trying to reassure her, keeping true to his optimistic, monk-self. Normally, she'd believe him, however, something felt out of place, missing. She'd been wondering what it was ever since they left the Jasmine Dragon a month ago.

"You can't be sure," she protested, feeling a heavy load suddenly weighing her chest down, willing her to understand what really was happening here.

Was this sadness she felt? Or was it something else? Something much more powerful, and frightening… and beautiful.

"I don't like it either," he agreed to her unspoken statement. "But it's for the best; you need to rebuild your tribe and secure its future prosperity and I… I need to be the Avatar."

He was pushing it. She recognised that he was already behind schedule and that he really needed to leave, but he was pushing to stay. To be close to her. To spend another moment with her. Even if it was only for a few minutes.

"C'mon Aang! We need to go! If we wait any longer, Zuko and Kuei will be at each other's necks by the time we arrive!" Yelled Toph with Suki beside her from the saddle, Sokka was on ground level, saying his final goodbyes to his girlfriend a few feet away.

Aang, took a step back, but had something he wanted to say, "Look, Katara I – "

"You need to go," she reminded him, smiling sadly as she wrapped her arms around him in a small hug. The warmth the alluring and tranquil sunset on the balcony at the Jasmine Dragon made its presence known once again – the loss came lurking behind it; the darkness of a missing moment casting a shadow over her. She wanted to hold him forever, but she had to let him go. That was her destiny, she thought, always, to let go. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," he whispered by her neck, sending pleasant shivers down her spine which she chose to ignore. She had to let go.

Without another word, the airbender pulled away and smiled at her for what felt like one last time before he began walking back to Appa's saddle, hugging Sokka and saying his goodbyes to the Watertribe warrior as Katara watched on, sadness welling over again, except this time, she recognised the feeling also held another weight.

Regret.

She had to let him go, and she knew she'd regret it.

"I still don't get why you like him," commented Annika from behind her. "I mean, he's shorter than you, and not even that attractive."

Katara had to bite her tongue and clench her fists and use the breathing techniques Aang had taught her to stop herself from water-whipping Annika's face in. The northern girl had been getting on her nerves lately, and although she was a friend, she voiced her disapproval of Katara's fondness for the airbender way too openly and often than the master waterbender was willing to tolerate.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She felt a gust of wind sweep by her, causing her hair loopies to sway alongside the current as she was once again met by the dazzling silver eyes she'd grown so fond of. "I got this for you when I was exploring the Southern Watertribe with Toph the other day," from his tunic, he revealed a blue poppy, a rare flower known only to grow in the Southern Watertribe – originally thought to be extinct. "We were visiting the Iceberg you freed me from when Toph felt a clearing of earth protruding from snowy grounds a few metres away. Toph didn't know it at the time but I brought her with me so she could sense if any agriculture was growing in the South. So, we investigated it and found a field of these." Shyly while rubbing the back of his neck, he presented the blue poppy to her. She accepted his offering without a second thought, mesmerised by its beauty. "I remember you said that barely any agriculture grew in the South. And I remembered how happy you were when we began travelling, how we'd stop mid-flight so you could explore the mountains and flower-fields near Omashu and in Ba Sing Se. I gave Sokka the coordinates for the field, so you can go there and see it for yourself, and maybe even help grow it further and – "

She cut his rambling off with her own lips, leaning forward furthermore and tilting her head to intensify it when she felt him sigh and kiss her back enthusiastically. Utter bliss dawned upon her, enveloping her with content and yet a longing for more. Feeling his soft lips move against hers made her realise why she felt this sinking feeling inside before. Why she felt her heart reaching out to him the moment she knew their time together was fleeting. Something was missing.

This was what was missing: a kiss. A moment she'd wanted to share with him, a moment of privacy, to declare her fondness for him, but couldn't in the Jasmine Dragon due to the knowledge that she'd have to let him go sooner rather than later.

Now, however, she didn't want to let him go. She wouldn't. She couldn't. She was compelled to be with him, to wait for him.

"You have to go," she reminded him as they pulled away, feeling as breathless as he as they panted simultaneously – his hot breath on her face was tempting, but Katara restrained herself… for the time being.

"Now – you've just made it a hundred times more difficult," he replied, glancing up into her eyes with all the love he held for her.

"I'll wait for you," she continued, ignoring the onlookers – mainly Annika whose eyes were bulging out of their sockets, and Sokka, who she was sure had probably passed out from shock by now – not to mention the two friends in the saddle who'd tease the life out of the airbender as soon as he pulled away… and her probably amused father.

This wasn't supposed to happen, not out in the open, or just when he was preparing to leave. It was supposed to happen weeks ago, at the Jasmine Dragon, when neither of them had to leave each other for another few weeks. Yet, she could care less. It happened, and she was glad she chose to be honest with him, to clearly display to him where her heart laid, and upon whose hands.

"No matter how long it takes," she breathed, her small hands cupping his face as she smiled at him, content and excited. "I'll wait for you."

"I'll be back," he stated, "I promise."

"You have to leave in order to return," she giggled, leaning in to give him another slow kiss and pulling away as soon as he began to kiss back, thus annoying him to no end.

"I can't leave if you… if you keep kissing me like that," he replied. She could tell he wanted to keep kissing her, to tell the world to screw off so he could be with her instead. She wanted it too… but they both knew it couldn't happen… not yet at least. So, she leaned in one more time, slowly kissing him as she cupped his face with one hand and placed the other – the one that held his gift – upon his half-naked chest. He melted at the passion she displayed, still awestruck and shocked that she actually wanted him. That she had actually chose him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, but she pulled away shortly, pushing him away and shoved him towards Appa playfully yet half-heartedly. She giggled at his purely satisfied and content expression as he took a few steps back and smiled at her, before airbending himself onto Appa's saddle with newfound mirth and exhilaration.

They waved each other goodbye as Appa took off, she could already see Suki and Toph rushing to the front of the saddle to tease the airbender, and part of her was amused. Turning back around, now feeling lighter, she brought the blue poppy to her face, closing her eyes and inhaling its distinct and sensational scent. It was such a simple gesture, but to her, it meant the world. He'd gone out of his way to gift her a part of her tribe she'd thought to be dead. He'd always been thoughtful and selfless, often sacrificing his own happiness for her own, demonstrating his love for her in every way possible… and she couldn't deny the swell of emotions welling in her heart when he rambled on, ignorant to the moisture gaining in her eyes before she kissed him.

Katara met Annika's shocked gaze when she opened her eyes and grinned at the northern girl, adoration evident in her eyes when she presented the poppy with pride…

"That's why I love him."