Chapter One

Katara had learned to dread her birthday.

"Gran-gran, please no. I don't want a party."

"Katara, in two weeks' time, you'll be an unmarried nineteen-year-old. You will have a party."

"I do not want a party. I always get bethrothal pendants; I don't want bethrothal pendants."

"Mhmm... Strictly speaking, after the age of sixteen, those are now marriage proposal pendants."

"Gran-gran, be serious about this!"

"I am being serious. My dear only grand-daughter still without a husband and children... I don't have much time left in this world-"

"Gran-gran!"

Since her sixteenth birthday, which no one in the Southern Tribe Village will ever forget, it had become Katara's annual tradition to go into hiding on her birthday. it had also become a tradition for her family to send out a seach party to look for the missing birthday celebrant, but they could never locate Katara's hiding place.

"You're not going to disappear on your birthday again, are you?"

"Throw me a party, and I will disappear."

"... Katara."

"I just don't want to get married yet, Gran-gran."

"You're not going to get married on your birthday. Those are just proposals."

"It's embarrassing."

"No, it isn't."

"You shouldn't be the one to talk to me about this. You ran away from Master Pakku."

"I know. I know. No need to remind me especially since your father and Pakku are holding me responsible for you're still being unmarried and all."

"Like Gran-gran, like daughter, hmm?"

At this, Kanna let out a coughing laugh before turning quite serious.

"You're waiting for Aang, aren't you?" she asked her granddaughter gently.

As always when asked that question, Katara hesitated before in as calm a tone as she could muster answered, "Aang and I are just friends."

"So you say," her grandmother would then always reply.

It was a matter which intruded on Katara's thoughts often. What really were her feelings for her best friend? Was their friendship only truly platonic or perhaps not... Sometimes, Katara found herself attempting to imagine being with Aang in an intimate fashion, only to find herself frustrated for she didn't even know how he looked now, four years after his disappearance. Certainly his eyes would still be that gentle shade of gray and little doubt he would be clean-shaven. Katara could never imagine Aang otherwise.

He'd be taller now, probably taller than me, Katara mused in the back of her mind as she followed Yugoda about on their healing duties, which were always considerable these days. Though far-away from the populous continental Earth Kingdom, many still made the long freezing journey to the South and North Poles for treatment.

"Katara?"

"Yes, Yugoda?"

"There's a patient in the back who specifically asked for you."

"... What?"

"Yes, I'm suspicious too. He claims he's an old friend of yours."

"He is? What's his name?"

Yugoda frowned and looked as though she was having a difficult time recalling the stranger's name, "He says his name is Pippin Patel... Opsi something the Third. A very strange name. Anyway, he has very bushy white hair- Katara?"

That it had to be Aang was all Katara could think of as she hurried to the backroom which was usually reserved for seriously ill patients. There weren't any that Katara was aware of; the Waterbender Healers did their work quickly and efficiently and thus far enjoyed a record that boasted of no fatalities whatsoever.

As Katara quickly slipped herself passed the large fur skin which hung over the doorway, she crashed into someone on the other side.

"Oh!"

"Don't worry. I have you."

The rest of the world seemed to fall away when Katara found herself looking up into very familiar slate-colored eyes.

"... Aang?"

The corners of his eyes crinkled with amusement at the sound of his name. "Hey Katara. Long time no see."

Later on, Katara could barely remember what exactly happened next. All she could recall was giving her best friend a fierce hug before soon after crying happy tears of joy and relief into the front of his brown robes. It would only be after she had gotten over her bout of tears, while Aang was gently wiping her face dry with his fingertips, had she then realized that he currently had a very full head of hair and a very bushy beard.

"Ouch!"

"... Oh Spirits. It's real."

"Yes, it's real, Katara," grumbled Aang, tugging his beard away from Katara's fingers. He turned wary as Katara's eyes slowly travelled upwards to the hair atop his head."

"That's real too so don't you even think about pulling at it caused it would hurt too."

"I can barely recognize you," Katara suddenly found herself complaining.

"Yeah," said Aang, sounding quite proud. "Nothing like the real thing as a disguise. I even got into the Fire Nation with no problem whatsover. Plus, they aren't itchy like Appa's fur."

"... Why are you disguising yourself?"

"So that no one can tell I'm the Avatar, of course," said Aang immediately. It would be some time before Katara's currently muddled brain could make proper sense of that explanation.

"Aang, I don't understand," said Katara in a tone tinged with confusion and helplessness. She stilled, unexpectedly feeling awkward when Aang gave her a reassuring embrace.

"I know, Katara. I do have a lot of explaning to do, but first - do you think you can give me a haircut?"

For the next few moments, Katara could only stare at him wordlessly.

A short while later, in her hut, she attempted to cut Aang's hair according to his verbal instructions.

Making use of a waterbended mirror in order to see and guide Katara's progress, Aang said, "Just a trim. Don't want it all off. Having hair is the best way to cover up that arrow tattoo on my head. ... ... Hey... Katara, I think you cut more on the left than on the right... ... Now it's the other way around."

Katara sighed loudly, "Aang, I've never cut anyone's hair before so don't expect much from my first attempt."

"Oh, I know you'll do a great job, Katara. I have a lot of faith in your abilities. ... Just a little more on the right."

Before the haircutting session was over, Katara was wishing Aang hadn't come back.

"Okay. You've got your haircut. Now, start explaining. Why did you leave us like that so suddenly?"

"I will explain. I will, but first - let me shave off this beard. I don't really need it anymore."

"... All right, but don't take too long."

Not too long after, Katara had to heal Aang's face.

"Good grief! You've never shaved before, haven't you?"

"... Well... no."

"Oh...! Give me that razor!"

To be continued.