He found himself no longer sure how long he had been sitting under the banyan-grove tree. He had forgotten how long he had been staring into the distance, replaying visions of Katara. He came out here to let her go, but whenever he looked up between meditations, he would see her again, and his heart would break again.
Visions danced in the fog around him, showing Aang again and again his first kiss with Katara, their first dance, even the first time he had ever laid eyes on her. Her soft skin, gentle eyes, and loving smile were all permanently etched in his mind—perhaps sewn into the very fabric of his existence. It anguished him to think that it was all over.
Aang kept trying to pack away these visions, but every time he would start to seal them, they would burst forth and assail him, and he would find tears in his eyes all over again. He gave up this attempt, and decided to close his eyes and try to get some sleep. He took a deep breath, and let his mind fade to black.
"Aang?" an echo came somewhere in the back of his mind. It called again. "Aang!"
The Avatar's eyes flew open to find a slim figure in the distance, carefully crossing a tangle of thick roots. The figure stopped and cried his name again.
Aang squinted and tried to discern the figure. She was still far from him, but he made out the blue attire and long, dark hair. His heart leapt jubilantly and he couldn't spring to his feet fast enough. "Katara!" the Avatar exclaimed, rushing towards her. "Katara, I can't believe you're—" Suddenly, Aang skidded on the dewy grass, and went hurtling into the young woman. Both yelped as they tumbled to the ground. "Hey, what's your problem?"
"Sorry, Katara, I—" Aang gasped and lurched backwards when the girl stood and began brushing herself off.
"Don't you ever watch where you're going?" grumbled Toph.
Aang's mind went numb. His heart squeezed, threatening to break once more. "What are you doing here?" he asked sourly, turning away from her.
"Good to see you too, Sunshine," she replied. Toph moved to face him, and seemed to actually meet his eyes. Aang was stricken by the emotion in her face. For once in her life, she looked...worried. "What are you doing all the way out here?"
The Avatar heaved a sigh. "I just...had some stuff to work out."
"What was suddenly so important that you had to leave in the middle of the festival?"
"Katara broke up with me, okay?!" Aang burst out. He paused for a moment, and studied the earthbender for a reaction. She didn't flinch, but her expression seemed to sadden. Aang continued in a softer, almost apologetic tone, "I'm going through a lot right now, and I just want to be left alone."
Toph was silent for a few minutes, never taking her eyes off Aang. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
Exhaustion was starting to overwhelm the Avatar, and he sat down on the ground and dropped his head into his hands. Toph came down beside him and pressed close to him. Neither would speak for quite some time.