Note: This story takes place a few years after Fire Lord Ozai was defeated by Aang. The group parted once again…

Katara sat atop her bed of pelts, her long brown hair neatly brushed and placed over her shoulders; her expression was undistinguishable; a mix of happiness and worry, perhaps? In her smooth hands was a thin piece of parchment, decorated with print so familiar it brought silvery tears to her eyes.

She whispered several words on the letter, trying to make them sink into her mind.

Dearest Katara,

How long has it been? Five years? Much too long, I can assure you. I write you from the Eastern Air Temple, accompanied by the group of nomadic Water Tribe people that you inspired. Yes, they took heed of the powerful words you spoke at the Palace in the North Pole and traveled to the Temple to repopulate it.

How have you been, dear friend? Last I heard you traveled with General How to take out the remaining pockets of Fire Nation rebellion; may I congratulate you on your success. Believe me, a visit has long been in my plans, yet never executed. I apologize. I am so excited to see you, hopefully at the beginning of winter. Farewell until then, dear Katara.

Your friend,

Aang

Katara put a finger on the Avatar's signature, reluctantly folded the letter, and placed it carefully underneath on top of her pillow. The flap on Katara's tent opened, revealing Master Pakku as the visitor.

"My apologies for such a late visit," the old man sympathized, "but I felt one more visit was needed before your departure."

Katara rose and hugged the man warmly. Master Pakku had been the one to start the building of Jing (meaning capital city), the present capital of the South Pole. Katara had aided him two years later at the age of sixteen; a prosperous city now lay in their midst.

"I will miss you terribly, Master Pakku," Katara replied.

"Well," the man retorted, grabbing the letter from her pillow, "I trust you will be in good company with the Avatar."

Katara grabbed for the letter, adding, "What are you implying?"

The man shrugged his shoulders innocently and gave Katara a friendly peck on the cheek before bidding a final good-bye.

Kicking off her leathery moccasins, the girl burrowed under the soft layers of pelts on her bed and closed her eyes.

Katara bid Jing good-bye the next morning, her only company being the llama-goose on which she sat. As the two traveled quickly across the sheets of ice and snow, Katara contemplated the Avatar's letter. It had been so long; she remembered the last time his silvery eyes met with her sapphire ones…yes, it had definitely been too long.

Five Days Later…

The Avatar sat perched atop Appa's head, deep in thought. He held a copy of Katara's letter in his hand, mentally chiding himself for sounding so formal. Surrounding him was the magnificent structure of the Eastern Air Temple, restored now to its full glory. Aang looked with affection on the group of fifteen below, all donned in their customary Water Tribe robes.

He had escorted them personally on Appa three years ago, silently praising Katara for persuading them to uproot themselves to save a temple. It had been nearly a century since the Temple had seen life; well, at least life that respected its great beauty. The Air Bender changed into a more comfortable position and gave Appa the command to fly.

Aang suddenly found himself hundreds of feet above the ground; he'd flown on Appa for many years, but he never got used to the adrenaline rush that shot through his veins as he lifted into the sky. A dash of blue on the ground caught his eye; it was slowly making its way up the winding path to the Temple.

Aang and his bison went closer, allowing Aang to see a long brown braid tagging along behind the piece of blue. With a gasp of realization, Aang grabbed for his fan-like glider and swooped down in front of Katara.

The girl smiled broadly at the sight of the Avatar and pulled her animal to a halt. Aang said nothing, but simply grabbed her off of her llama-goose and lifted her into the sky, the animal obediently continuing up the path.

On the Trail to the Temple…

"Sokka, how long does it take to read a map?" an impatient Toph questioned.

"Give me a second," Sokka replied irritably, not looking up from his map.

Toph grunted and removed the layers of blankets from around her fussing baby boy; supported from the armpits, 9 month-old Jian was able to stand awkwardly on his mother's thighs. He clearly took after his father with thin wisps of chestnut hair stretching over his head and brilliant blue eyes; luckily, blindness had not been inherited by Sokka and Toph's first child.

Sokka took a moment to caress his baby's smooth cheek before returning to his aged map. Eyes still on focused on his stained paper, Sokka pointed a finger in general direction. He looked up after a moment of consideration, realizing that his blind wife couldn't possibly tell where he was directing.

"Just a bit more to the Southeast. There's a dock about three miles from here; I'm sure I can find someway to contact Aang from there."

"Does Aang even know we're coming?" Toph asked, giving her husband a playful punch on the arm.

Sokka bit his lip, responding, "Maybe…"

"What if he'd not even at the Temple? What if he's at the North Pole, taking care of some Avatarish business? Did you even consider that?"

Sokka bit his lip again, replying with the same, "Maybe…"

Toph said nothing, but simply put her baby into the arms of Sokka. She took a breath and swallowed her annoyance at her irrational husband. Exhaling a large breath, Toph responded, "It's all right. Everything will be all right. I'm sure Aang will understand the utter stupidity of my husband. Yes, everything will be fine."

Sokka planted a large kiss on her lips adding, "I love you when you're like that."

He then grabbed the reins of the ostrich-horse and began to lead once again.

On the Back of Appa…

Katara sat in the arms of the Avatar, enjoying every moment of their-long awaited hug.

"Oh Aang," she exclaimed when the two unwound from the embrace, "it's so wonderful to see you!"

Aang sat staring at her, observing the changes made by the past five years. The two wisps of hair traveling to the back of her hair still playfully brushed against her face, and there was her braid. Her hair seemed a bit sun bleached, though, with thin streaks of honey-blonde hair traveling throughout her brown waves. Her eyes remained as blue as ever, but they seemed a bit deeper, scarred by battle and other unspeakable things. Of course, there were pieces of wisdom tucked away into the sapphire pools; wisdom Katara had polished throughout the years, making it nearly perfect, even at the age of nineteen.

Katara took a moment to look at Aang as well; he had fully grown into his large, silvery eyes. His face was marked with such hues of maturity, angst, and love that he seemed to be propelled to age twenty-five instead of seventeen. He was presently dressed in the same outfit Katara had seen him in last, slightly differentiated but still full of the child thriving in Aang (if it was even possible for clothes to accomplish such a task).

Snapping out of his stare, Aang answered, "It's great to see you too! I've been waiting to see you for so long! But, may I ask, why did you come to see me? I though I told you I was coming to visit in the winter."

Katara rolled her eyes.

"I couldn't resist a challenge."

Yes, another story from yours truly. Just a little note below…

Llama-goose: This animal has the basic body of a llama, but is equipped with two large wings on each side, allowing it to rise up to fifty feet in the air. These wings also help it to float in water when flatly extended.

Well, why don't we go review?