Disclaimer: I still do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this fic.

This chapter is pretty long too, I'm quite proud of myself! Enjoy!

Aang: 15

Katara: 17

Sokka: 19

(There, ages are fixed! )

Triumph Over Two

Chapter 2: Party For Aang

Aang's ears rang with excitment at Gran-Gran's words: "You are ready.."

He couldn't believe it. Three years of training had finally paid off, and now he was the avatar, protector of the world. The thought of saving the world and bringing peace to the four nations sent shivers down his spine, but it was an adventure just waiting to happen. Katara and Sokka would want to come too, he knew that. His friends were always there for him, even when he thought they would abandon him. Yet, there they were, ready to fight by his side against the fire nation.

By now the sun was high, yet it had not gotten any warmer. Aang leaned against Appa, a quiet and sincere look on his face. He was now considered a man, and there was no more time for games. He had to be ready for what was to come.

Appa then gently moved underneath him, which caused him to look up at his friend and smile. Appa looked him in the eye and groaned a little. Aang sighed.

"I guess I can still act like a kid, but when the time comes to fight, I will be ready,"

Talking to Appa always helped, even though he knew his pet could not talk back. It gave a comfort that he would not normally feel.Gazing back at the spot he was staring at before, he noticed Katara standing there, smiling.

"Appa, what is this funny feeling I have in my stomach?" He asked his pet, who only looked at him momentarily and then turned back to the grass he was eating vigorously. Of course Appa could not answer him, but it was better than talking to himself. Aang looked down at his hands.

"Hey, Aang."

An angelic voice swept through Aang's ears, causing him to turn his head quickly. There stood Katara, eyes full of happiness.

"Oh, hey Katara." He said somewhat quietly, feeling embarrassed. How did she get up here so fast? Was she listening when I was talking to Appa?

"Why don't you come down to the village with me? We have a surprise for you...and you can bring Appa along if you like," Katara held out her hand, and Aang thankfully took it. He swiftly picked himself up and followed Katara, leaving Appa to graze.

"What kind of surprise is it?" Aang asked excitedly, looking over at Katara. She smiled and shook her head.

"You'll see."

Once they entered the village, everyone was standing there waiting for Aang. He looked at each one in the face, and stopped at Gran-Gran. She then stepped forward.

"Aang...you have grown so much over the past three years. Your skills, your strength.." She then looked to Katara and smiled, "..and your looks."

Katara blushed and Aang looked down slightly, the ground suddenly becoming interesting. There was a short silence among them before she continued.

"Our village owes you many thanks for saving us from the fire nation, and we are very proud that you, Aang, have finally achieved in learning the bending powers, and have become the avatar. Thus, we shall have a party in your name and honor."

Once she finished, the village yelled and whooped with excitement, showing Aang the decorations and the food that was prepared for him.

Slowly he gazed at each item, tears forming in his eyes. Never before had he felt more at home, hearing the clapping of the villagers, the decorations, the food...it was all so perfect. He then turned and looked at Katara, who smiled and hugged Aang.

"I hope you enjoy it. Me and Sokka put this together for you, knowing you deserved to be recognized for who you are and what you have done."

She whispered the words quietly in his ear, her arms still around him. He put his arms around her and hugged her back, a wide smile playing on his face.

"You deserve recognition too, because you've saved my life countless times, and you've saved your brothers' life and your village." He whispered back. He gently pulled out of her grip and looked her in the eyes, a smile on her face.

"Thanks, Aang."

Their faces were merely inches away from each other when Sokka decided to run in the middle of them screaming. It was just like Sokka to ruin the perfect moment. Both Katara and Aang rolled their eyes as he turned his head back and forth with extreme speed.

"Guys! I've finally improved my penguin catching!" He said with excitement, his face lit up with pride. He grabbed their arms and led them to where a flock of penguins lay in the sun, trying to warm themselves after a wonderful day of catching fish. Aang tried to pry Sokka's hand off of his wrist, but it was no use. It's almost impossible to escape from Sokka's grip when he's excited. He finally let the two go, causing them to fall back into a snow bank.

"Shh...watch and learn."

Sokka looked back at them momentarily before turning to face the penguins. He slowly stretched his arms out in front of him, and started to tip toe towards the resting flock. He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he came up behind a sleeping penguin, his arms still stretched out as far as they will go. Without realizing it, Sokka stepped on a stick and caused the penguin to wake up.

"Graaah!"

He leaped forward at the bird, but it already knew Sokka was there, so the penguin toddled out of the way, and caused Sokka to go face first into the snow.

Aang and Katara burst into a fit of laughter as Sokka stood up, his face red with fury and embarrassment. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes as he spit snow out of his mouth.

"That is really professional Sokka!" Katara said.

"Yeah! Do you think you can teach me to do that?" Aang added. Sokka balled his hands into fists and stormed off, leaving the two by themselves. Again Sokka managed to make them laugh, even without trying.

Eventually their stomachs were sore from laughing, and they fell back into the snow bank behind them. Aang put his hands behind his head as he tried to catch his breath, and Katara gently turned on her side to face Aang, her breathing quick and raspy.

"Man, Sokka sure does have a knack for making people laugh," Aang said after a few quiet moments. Katara nodded.

"He sure does...and I noticed the penguin was smarter than he was too." Katara commented, making Aang laugh. He stopped after a second or two due to the previous laughing episode.

Aang looked from the sky to Katara, who was resting her head on her arm, smiling. He smiled back, and without warning, took her hand in his.

She could feel heat rising in her face as he tightened his grip, his eyes sparkling from the sun's light. For those few minutes, the only thing that they could see was each other. The noises of the village disappeared, the cold from the snow melted away, and they were alone.

"KATARA! AANG!"

Suddenly they snapped out of their dream world and looked up the snowy hill to see Sokka standing there. He has to ruin every moment doesn't he? Aang growled lowly and hit his head against the snow.

"What?" The two responded at the same time, letting go of each other's hand quickly, hoping Sokka didn't notice.

"Gran-Gran wants you up here, now!" He yelled. Quickly they ran up the snow bank to see Gran-Gran standing there with a man beside her.

He was tall and thin, and had evidence of muscle, and was very good looking. Aang's face distorted with anger at the sight of him. He knew that with a guy like this, he didn't stand a chance with Katara.

"Katara, this is your husband-to-be, Roju. He has asked for your hand in marriage, and since you are of marrying age, I have arranged your wedding." Gran-Gran said.

At these words, Katara took one step back and placed her hand on her forehead. This was not supposed to be! I want to pick my own husband! I lo-

Before she could finish her thought, Roju had her hand in his, and was on one knee. She looked down at this man that was to be her husband, and then looked over to Aang.

His face was dark and his eyes had a dull grey color to them. He looked at the ground for a moment or two, and before Katara could tell him her true feelings, he shot off towards Appa. Her eyes narrowed and looked towards the village people and Gran-Gran. It had gone from a 'Thank you Aang' Party to a 'You are going to marry a man you don't know and you are going to like it' surprise. Katara stomped her foot.

"How could you do this! I want to decide for myself who will be my husband! I don't even know this man, how can I love him? I'm fifteen and I make my own decisions!"

She stood stiff, expecting someone to say something. Even Roju was stiff in his position. Taking this as an open opportunity, Katara ran off to find Aang.

"I can't believe this..."

Aang muttered to himself as he paced by Appa, a nice trench being made by his constant walking back and forth.

Hearing the shuffling of snow, he turned to see Katara running towards him. He quickly turned his head and put a hand on Appa's leg, hoping she would realize what he was doing and not come near. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to look at Katara.

"Look, Aang..what happened back there.."

She didn't have time to finish her sentence before Aang put a finger to her lips.

"I understand how your tribe is. I can't change any of it. You need to be with him, because it is what your grandmother chose, and she knows what is best for you." He said, finally taking his finger away. Before she could respond Aang was on top of Appa, ropes in hand.

"I must be off to fight the fire nation. I hope that you will be happy with your soon-to-be husband and your family-to-come."

"Aang, I want to go with you.."

"I want you to go with me too, but if your grandmother wants you to marry, you must stay here..." When Aang noticed tears streaming down Katara's face, he slid off of Appa and pulled her into a hug.

"I'll miss you Katara..." Aang whispered. Katara hugged him back and buried her face into his shoulder.

"I don't want to marry him, Aang." She muttered as he rubbed her back gently. She suddenly had an idea.

"Aang...why don't you and I leave when no one is noticing. That way you can go after the fire nation, I can be with you, and I don't have to marry that...Roju guy." She bit her lip as Aang pulled her back and looked at her, a look of sincerity on his face. She suddenly knew she made a mistake, and looked down. He lifted her chin so she looked back at him, and this time he was smiling.

"You really don't want to marry that guy, do you?" He asked. She shook her head.

"No I don't, and I have my reasons," She said. She didn't want to marry him for two reasons: One, she didn't know him at all and it made no sense to marry someone you don't know, and two she loved Aang. Of course he doesn't know that. She smiled as she thought of her little secret. He smirked.

"Am I one of the reasons?" He asked playfully. Her face turned red as she smacked him on the head.

It was as if Aang could read her thoughts, and it scared her. If his bending powers were great, maybe his mind was much stronger too, and he could hear every thought she had...when she was mad, sad, or when she was thinking about Aang. She hoped that he did not notice her reddened face and the look of shock that was also evident. She decided to try and cover the matter.

"Don't think so highly of yourself," She replied, crossing her arms and turning her back against him. He, of course, did not see the smile on her face.

"I wasn't!" Aang said as he rubbed his head.

Katara sighed and looked down at the village. Gran-Gran was talking to Roju, the little boys were sitting in a circle around Sokka as he tried to show of his 'new technique', and the other villagers were now going about their business. Aang then tapped her on the shoulder.

"We'll leave tonight and take Sokka with us," He said quietly as he walked past her. She decided to follow him to the villageWhen they were in sight, Gran-Gran stopped them in their tracks.

"Katara, how could you treat Roju that way? He's come a long way to ask for your hand in marriage!"

Katara bit her lip. She didn't want to marry Roju, and she had to tell her grandmother that...NOW.

"Gran-Gran, I can't marry him. I want to choose for myself. I want someone that I actually love and have had time to get to know." She said, her face without emotion as she looked at her grandmother. She sighed.

"Very well, Katara. Hopefully you will not be foolish, and make a wise decision." Katara's face lit up with excitement as she hugged Gran-Gran and thanked her.

"You can count on me Gran-Gran. I already have someone in mind too," She said, then added, "Why did you bring this up during Aang's party anyway?" Gran-Gran smiled.

"I don't know. He had just arrived and decided to go ahead and go through with it all. I am old and I get tired so easily, I might not have wanted to do it later." Aang and Katara fell over at her comment, but while they weren't paying attention, Gran-Gran was smiling. She thoroughly enjoyed testing Katara to see how she would respond to Roju and marriage. She already knew Katara's secret, but this confirmed it all.

"I need to leave now, I will come back to visit soon," Roju said to Gran-Gran as he disappeared behind the village. She smiled as she watched everyone go to their separate houses, and then she retired to her own.

A few moments had passed when someone knocked on her door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Gran-Gran."

The woman stood up and opened the flap to let Katara into her hut. It was quite roomy. There was a nice bed in the far corner, and next to it was a small table with a lantern sitting on top of it, the light flooding the room. On the floor was a bear skin rug, and one top of it was a rocking chair made of driftwood. It was definitely a place you could call home.

Katara sat quietly on the end of her grandmothers' bed, and waited for her to sit down.

"Now, why are you here child?" Gran-Gran asked as she made herself comfortable in her rocking chair. Katara looked from the floor to her grandmother, and shifted her eyes slightly.

"I want to know the true reason you brought Roju here."

Her grandmother stared at Katara for some time, leaving the silence of the room and the village to overcome them. The only thing that could be heard was the lapping of the waves against the ice burgs. Gran-Gran then took out a book and began to read.

Katara suddenly got frustrated, realizing that she was not going to answer her question. She quickly stood up and was almost to the door when her grandmother spoke.

"I did it to test you,"

Katara turned and looked at the old woman that was sitting in the chair. She couldn't believe it. A test? Was this some kind of joke her grandmother decided to pull? She went back and sat on the bed, waiting for her to finish.

"I knew you had feelings for the Avatar, and I wanted to see if you were strong enough to stand up for what you wanted, not what I wanted...and you passed." Gran-Gran looked up from her book and eyed Katara, who had her mouth hanging open.

"Come now, child. You didn't honestly think I was going to make you marry that man. He was just part of the act. He is an old friend of mine."

Katara still could not respond to Gran-Gran's words. Her mouth was still agape. She could not believe what her grandmother was saying to her. A test? An old friend of hers? She wasn't going to make me marry him...even if I didn't fight against her? Many thoughts rushed through her head as she finally decided to speak.

"But Gran-Gran...if I didn't stand up against you...what would have happened?"

"I would have brought you and Roju into my hut and discussed it privately. I would have never made you marry him. Like I said before, Katara, that it was only a test to see how strong-willed you were. How...ready you are, for the things that are to come,"

Gran-Gran noticed the look on Katara's face, so she continued, "I know it is part of our culture to get a woman to marry at the age of fifteen or sixteen, but since I knew what you wanted to do, and it was obvious, I did not want to stand in your way."

Katara's heart leaped with joy at the thought of being able to marry someone she chose. Her grandmother had seen the signs that she liked Aang, and knew that is what she wanted. She respected her wishes. That is what she loved most about Gran-Gran. She will forget culture to make someone happy, and what her grandmother did made her very happy.

"Thank you so much, Gran-Gran. You have no idea how much this means to me," Katara said as she hugged her grandmother tightly. She hugged back gently, and let her go.

"You are welcome, my dear. Just promise me that you won't go after another man. I know that Aang is for you. I can see it."

"I promise, Gran-Gran."

"Now, go on to bed. I need to have my rest."

Katara nodded and left the hut, and quietly went to hers. Putting on her pajamas, she thought of today's events.

"Today was definitely interesting, but I know that going with Aang to beat the fire benders will be even better," Katara said to herself as she slipped in bed and turned off the light. She knew that Aang would want to leave as soon as possible, so she decided to stay awake. Quietly she gazed at the ceiling above her, thinking about the upcoming adventure.

Eventually, the sun disappeared behind the village, and everyone was in their houses sleeping...except for Aang and Katara. Though in separate houses at the moment, they knew that staying awake was the best option so they could leave once they knew everything was quiet. They would have to wake up Sokka once they had everything packed and ready to go.

Aang laid in bed, staring at the ceiling thinking about Katara. I wonder how come she didn't want to marry him?...Why did it bother her so much? He turned on his side and waited for the right opportunity to leave.

He knew if he left when everyone was awake, Gran-Gran might say something against Katara and Sokka leaving with him. She would say that Katara must stay behind and help with the village, and Sokka must stay and protect the village. Though he thought Gran-Gran might not care, he did not want to take any chances. He couldn't go alone, and he didn't want to go alone.

Looking out of the nearby window, he saw the moon rising in the sky, and got up out of the bed.

Now is the time.

So? What did you think? I'm really trying to make everything flow so it can go from one chapter to the next, and it's kinda difficult. Please go easy on me! If you want to criticize my writing, please make it to where it will help me.

Yes, the marriage thing was rushed, but Gran-Gran was only testing Katara. That is why that part was rushed in the story and rushed out.

Please leave a comment! I would be so happy!

A few thanks:

kilala63: Thank you so much!

MaddHatterAceINC: Haha in the next chapter he'll knock a few fire bender heads in. XD And I'm glad you like it!

Red Hawk K'Sani: Thanks! Oh, I'm glad you told me! I wasn't sure what age she was. I've fixed it in this chapter.

Nina Wyndia The Third: Thanks! Uhm...what was the dot dot dot for?..Just curious.

Outlawarcher: Thankyou!

Mystic-Fae: Thankyou so much! I love getting comments like this, it's what keeps me writing:gives you loads of hugs: These kinds of things are my encouragement! And I'm updating as fast as I can!..these chapters are forever long...well, for me anyway XD.

Big Harry Potter Fan: Thanks! I'm updating as fast as I can! And I love the show too. It's definitely awesome.

DynaGurl: He's my second fave after Aang. I love how stupid he can be! XD And thanks for the comment!

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Thankyou so much guys! It means alot!