Katara scanned the airship dock anxiously. A few airships had arrived over the last few days, but none carrying the people she most wanted to see.
It had been two agonizingly long days since she and Zuko had taken Azula down.
Four days since Aang had disappeared.
And now, in just a few short days, Zuko would be named as the new Fire Lord of the Fire Nation and Aang could resume his role as the keeper of world harmony and balance.
A new era was on the horizon.
But the new era was not at the forefront of her thoughts now. Katara did not want to consider the future just yet. In the last two days, messenger hawks had been coming in and out of the Capital City, sending updates, recalling troops, and locating and releasing prisoners of war. Her thoughts and emotions were scattered.
Sokka, Suki, and Toph had yet to arrive. According to an obviously quickly scribbled letter from her brother, they were accompanying Aang on a brief trip to assist in delivering the message to the some Earth Kingdom cities that the war had ended –that they had actually won the war. It was almost too much to think about.
Since that message had arrived on the evening of the comet, Katara had a growing sense of nervousness bubbling within her. Though Iroh had told them all that their destinies had been upon them in that momentous battle against the Fire Nation, Katara knew that another big part of her destiny was also approaching.
She had avoided thinking about it too much, scared to acknowledge what it meant during a time of war. If she acknowledged it, then the tugging at her heart and flips in her stomach meant something more than she was completely ready for –or at least, ready to admit she was ready for. And if he didn't come back—
Katara shook her head slightly, not wanting to dwell on her feelings and thoughts. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore them, though.
She continued to scan the skies for signs of another airship arriving. Her arms were folded across her chest, worry and anticipation etched across her face.
"He'll be here, don't worry so much. You know he beat my father," she heard Zuko's voice behind her.
Katara turned to look at her injured friend and sighed. She briefly considered pretending that apprehension hadn't been plaguing her, but knew it was futile.
"You know, both of our destinies are intertwined with his. My uncle was right. We're destined in different ways, of course, but the spirits made our paths cross with his for a reason."
Her expression softened.
"I know. That has been on my mind a lot these last few days. I just, I don't know. We've been in the middle of a war and I haven't even had a chance to fully process what I've been feeling."
Zuko nodded, trying to channel his Uncle Iroh before responding.
"Sometimes we have to trust in destiny enough not to overthink it. If we overthink it, we might let it pass us by or make a decision that is clouded by fear. It's better to listen to destiny and to our hearts," the incoming Fire Lord examined the waterbender's expression, "What did you let guide you when you joined him on this journey?"
Katara opened her mouth to respond, but before she could get a word out both she and Zuko heard the approaching hum of an airship above them. Her eyes darted, desperately scanning the sky to find the direction it was coming. She froze as though any movement could scare it away. A small gasp escaped her as the airship appeared from within a cloud above the dock.
As the airship began its descent, Katara could feel her heart begin to pound quickly and powerfully in her chest. Zuko reached out and put a hand on her shoulder as if to remind her of what he had just said. They both waited silently for the ship to land, hoping their friends were aboard.
A few minutes later, a loud scraping could be heard as it landed unceremoniously on the doc. It was certainly not a professional conductor landing this airship. It had to be Sokka.
"Let's go," Zuko said as he began walking down towards the airship's gangplank.
Katara followed at once, feeling a mix of emotions bubble within her even more as her heart continued to pound.
The airship door opened, and she could immediately see her brother leaning against Suki and Toph. He was injured. The three of them looked quite worse for wear. She made a mental note to give them all a healing session soon.
The trio limped down the gangplank to where Zuko and Katara were waiting, a palpable sense of relief surrounding them. As they made it down, she and Zuko rushed them. She hugged Suki and Toph, and finally her brother.
"You made it! I'm so happy you made it," she croaked into her brother's chest.
"We did. We really did it," Sokka patted his sister's back gently.
Katara's relief left her as she realized someone was still missing. She looked up to the gangplank and saw him walking gingerly down the ramp.
The gang knew they had lost her attention. Katara's heart tugged at her again and without a word, she released her brother and bolted towards the Aang.
The Avatar sped his pace to meet her at the bottom of the ramp just as she tackled him to the ground with a hug. He wrapped his arms around her without a word, feeling tears well up in his eyes.
"Don't you dare leave me like that again, Aang," she cried into his shoulder.
Every ounce of the nervousness she had been feeling washed away when she saw him. Relief and overwhelming happiness readily replaced it. It had only been a few days, but it was truly the longest she and Aang had been apart since she had found him in that iceberg. It had felt like a deep chasm of time.
Katara's heart continued to pound as if telling her not to let go.
The Avatar and Waterbending Master were clutching each other desperately on the ground of the Fire Nation palace city's airship dock, oblivious to the onlookers watching them. The ash and dirt caked onto Aang's tattered garbs dirtied Katara, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that he was alive and whole and with her.
Katara hadn't wanted to admit how scared she had been for him until the immense sense of relief washed over her. She imagined what it must have looked like as she ran to him, toppling his tired body to the ground and soaking him with her tears.
She didn't care, though. Katara also hadn't realized how scared she had been for herself throughout these last few days -once again facing the possibility of life without him- until she knew she had him by her side again. Zuko had been right about following her heart and destiny.
Aang choked back a small sob and took a breath.
"I won't ever leave you again. I'm sorry, Katara."
"Don't be. Just keep your word that you won't disappear on me ever again."
His arms encircling her waist trembled slightly before pulling her tighter. She hadn't been the only one with fear in her heart these last few days. As they settled into their embrace and the calm that came with holding each other, she could feel her heart fall in time with his.
"Ahem...I'm sorry to interrupt, but we must escort you to your chambers to rest and prepare for his highness's Coronation this week. Please, follow us."
The gang looked a little startled and put off as a pair of Fire Nation Sages waited for them to gather themselves for the walk up to the palace.
Aang and Katara released each other and stood to follow the Fire Nation Sages, Toph and Suki trailing behind as they helped Sokka keep steady. Zuko walked with the sages, peering back at his friends from time to time. No one said a word as they walked. While the gang knew Katara cared that they had made it out of the battle alive, it was clear that her ultimate concern was Aang.
A new sense of promise filled them all as the palace came into sight.
Katara glanced at Aang as the two walked together in silence. He looked tired and worn out, but his eyes shone with hope. Her heart began to pound again.