Hey there, sorry it took so long for me to update, but I was having serious writers block, and when I finally figured out what to right about the chapter turned out longer than most, so it took a while to write. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 5: The Festival
The gaang had been flying for several hours now, and it was obvious that Appa was tiring. Not only that, but it seemed that the continuous traveling was taking its toll on the attitude's of the four passengers as well. Aang decided it would be best if they were to find a town to stop and rest for a few days.
The young monk peered over the edge of his bison's head. He had to be very particular about selection of the town. First off, and most importantly, the town must be free from anything to do with fire nation. It also should be near a good place to practice earth bending, and possibly a water source for Katara.
Spotting a small settlement in the middle of the large forest Aang grew satisfied, and proceeded to tell his companions of his find. He air-lifted himself to the middle of the saddle, right between Katara and Toph. Aang decided that for now it was best to keep a distance from Sokka, considering last night's events. In truth, he was kind of angry with Sokka for finding them. In fact, if he hadn't been interrupted Aang was sure he would have kissed Katara. If only Sokka had waited a few more seconds…
"Aang, are you ok? You spaced out all of a sudden"
Aang was snapped out of his trance by a tan hand waving in front of his face.
"Huh, oh, yeah. I found a place for us to land. We can rest for a few days, and I can practice earth bending."
"And I'll be able to see again"
"And I'll finally get some meat."
Hearing the agreements of his friends Aang hopped back onto Appa's head and set course for the tiny earth village.
"Oh man, I can't find any meat! Only these stupid nuts!"
The gang had landed in a clearing as close as they could get to the village. They decided it would be easiest to keep their things packed and get to the village before nightfall, but Sokka insisted on finding a little snack for their hike.
"Hey, lemme see those nuts… does this place look familiar to you?"
Aang began to look around in all directions, analyzing their temporary campsite. It definitely had a familiar ring to it… oh well; he would think more on it in the morning. For now they had to focus on getting to the town. Maybe if they got there early enough he could spend some quality time with Katara, like last night…
"Almost there, I can feel the vibrations from here"
Toph was right, and before they knew it, they stumbled into the town's market. Aang looked around, his sense of deja vu growing stronger by the minute. He knew he had seen it all before, a long time ago. He looked to Sokka; who also had the same concentrated look on his face. He too knew they had been here before.
"I think we've been here before"
Good ole' Sokka, always one to state the obvious.
"I don't remember it" Toph replied, walking over to where the two boys were standing.
"That's because we came here a long time ago… like on our way to the North Pole."
Sokka looked to Aang, who nodded in agreement, then to Katara, before remembering that she wouldn't have any idea what they were talking about.
"Well, no use in mulling over it now, we should try and find a place to stay." Aang advised. That was the second time that day he had dismissed the strange felling this town gave him.
Sokka approached one of the locals, and requested a place to stay. The poor man he asked looked very distressed, and he decided it would be a good time to introduce Aang into the picture. After a brief introduction the man apologized for his disrespect earlier, and bowed deeply.
People bowing to him never failed to make Aang feel very uncomfortable. He understood that he was the Avatar, the strongest mortal being in existence and the world's last hope, but he was Aang, the fun- loving 12 year old boy first and foremost- and formality still made him twitchy.
"I am very sorry Avatar sir, but it seems that this is the only place available that is large enough to house your, um… pet." The man from earlier had led the gaang to a large stable on top of a beautiful hill. Aang dismissed his memory trying to tell him something as he looked around their temporary home.
"Thank you sir- this will do very nicely." Instead of the ever impersonal bow,
Aang offered the man a friendly smile.
Returning the kind gesture the man turned to leave, but turned around, as though he forgot something.
"Please, tell me- or anyone else around here- if there is anything I can do for you. Oh yes, and I don't mean to be nosy, but I wonder if you would be attending the festival tonight?"
Sokka looked a bit taken aback, he had been hoping for a quiet evening, but judging by the way his sister's face lit up at the mention of it, it seemed they were going to the festival. Toph was the most curious of the four, and asked the man what they were celebrating.
"You see, young travelers, it is on this night, many moons ago, a very special person came to our humble village, and saved many people from the evil clutches of the fire Nation. Tonight we celebrate their return."
With one last bow the man turned and left the four teens to themselves.
"Oh, a festival! How exciting! Who do you suppose was the 'very special person'?"
Sokka looked at his sister, amazed at how dumb she could be at times.
"IT'S AANG! Geez sugar queen, how dumb can you possibly get!?!"
Apparently, Toph felt the same way Sokka did. I mean, did she forget they were traveling with the Avatar!?!
A deep blush spread across her face as Katara realized her ignorance in her last comment. Her 'oops, sorry' could barley be heard.
Aang would have probably been angry with Toph at her crudeness with his sweet Katara, if he had not just realized the answer to what had been plaguing his mind the entire afternoon.
"Sokka, I've got it! This village, its Haru's!"
The warrior's face suddenly lit up as he remembered the teen in which they had risked everything to save.
"Yeah, I remember now. Say, do you think that he's still around here?"
"I guess we'll find out tonight at the festival" Came Aang's bittersweet reply.
Sokka could only guess that the harshness in the young boy's voice was a bit of jealousy. He too remembered how smitten his sister had been with the earth bender. It certainly would be interesting to see how Katara would act around this boy; she had never been one to be shy. This fact was proven the first time they had met Haru. He only hoped, for Aang's sake if not for his own, that she wouldn't fall for the earth bending teen.
Getting ready for the festival had proved to be an easy task. The only one who had any fancy clothing with her was Toph, having come from a rich family, and she wasn't about to change. She had made it very clear that there was no way she was going to dress up if she didn't have to.
The moment they stepped out of the large barn the location of the festival was very clear. There were many colored candles and lanterns hung around, setting the sky a beautiful rainbow color. One could only guess how it would look as soon as the sun was completely set over the mountains.
As they walked down the hill to the center of the town Aang couldn't help but admire Katara's beauty. Although her clothes were normal the lights reflected in her eyes, making them even lovelier then they already were. He had thought about asking her to the festival, as in, a date, but decided against it. First off, he wasn't so sure Sokka was as crazy about the idea as he was, and he did have to live with this guy until the end of the summer. With a boomerang like that, it was better to stay on Sokka's safe side. Also, if this festival was celebrating his return to the village, Aang had a strong feeling that they wouldn't be left alone for the rest of the night.
Then again, maybe all that stuff had nothing to do with it. Maybe he was just too nervous, too afraid of rejection. Aang let out a long sigh, and slowed his step a little, preparing himself to transform into 'Avatar Aang', the world's last hope, instead of the shrimpy 12 year old he was now.
Sensing something was wrong, Katara laid a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder.
"Don't worry, It'll be fun." She said, offering a warm smile. 'It's always fun with you around' she added silently to herself.
-Meanwhile, a few paces ahead-
Toph was subconsciously preparing herself for the festival. She knew that Sokka would be flirting a lot, and to her dismay, none of it would be with her. He seemed to forget she was even a girl sometimes, although she had to admit, she never much acted like one.
'Maybe one day'
By the time they arrived in the center of town the sun had set. The only light in the entire town were the colorful lanterns strung around every building, and even a couple trees. There was a large stage that everyone seemed to be congregating around, so the group worked their way over through the crowd.
Soon the crowd began to quiet down, and a man walked on stage accompanied by what seemed like a younger version of him. A very familiar, earth bender version.
Sokka leaned over to Aang and whispered, so not to be disrespectful to the two people on stage. "Hey, that's Haru"
Aang felt a surge of jealousy overcome him like an ocean wave when he heard that name. He hadn't forgotten the boy, and how he and Katara always went on walks at sunset, and seemed to understand each other so well. He had also overheard Haru and his father talking to Katara right after she had freed them, and he had tried to persuade her to come back with him, but she chose to come with Aang. Perhaps that showed that she liked Aang more than Haru, but that was then, and Katara didn't remember any of it now.
The man began to speak, and introduced himself as Tyro. Then he introduced his son as, sure enough, Haru. Although Aang was extremely jealous of the boy, Aang thought it was nice to see an old friend. Then Haru began a speech.
"Many moons ago this very ground you are standing on was not free. The entire town was ruled by the fire nation, and they treated us harshly, and charged us with unfair taxes. Worst of all, anyone who was caught earth ending was taken captive, and forced to live on a steel boat. I am sorry to say that my father and I had to experience this harsh punishment first hand, as we are both earth benders. With so many of our brave warriors gone and the fire nation taking over our lives all hope seemed lost, that is until some travelers stumbled into this village and changed our lives forever. One of the travelers stood out of the rest, and without this person I would have never seen my father again, and I probably wouldn't be here right now. That is why I am happy to say that this very person is here tonight…"
Sokka shot Aang an encouraging glance. The kid was like a little brother to him, and it was nice to see these people appreciating him, because he tried so hard.
"Without further ado, let me welcome to our town the person that saved my life and the lives of my people…"
'Here it comes' Aang thought. No one had ever introduced him like this before. It was always just 'Avatar Aang'. He had saved plenty of villages, but never had he been honored like this before. He could feel Katara's hand on his shoulder, warm and supporting. He could see the smile on Haru's face as he was about to announce his name. He was looking at Aang now, or rather, looking slightly over his shoulder at- but it couldn't be…
"…Katara!"
As some teen on the stage announced her name Katara froze and her eyes grew as wide as saucers. A group of people around her lifted her onto the stage and into the embrace of the boy who had made the speech just moments earlier. Who was this guy, and why was he hugging her. She felt helpless as she sent a confused look down to Aang and Sokka, who looked just as surprised as she felt. He boy who was hugging her pulled back and held her in place by her shoulders, when he began to speak again.
"Thank you Katara."
There was a long silence, and the only thing that kept her from jumping of the stage was the boy's strong hold on her. She realized that everyone was waiting for her to say some thing, to make some kind of speech, but the words wouldn't come. She simply looked helplessly at the boy, and managed to choke out
"I'm sorry, but, who are you again?"
Please update, I need your feedback! Don't worry, it hopefully won't take as long for me to update this time. I am also thinking about starting a new fic soon, so check all my stories.