Note: Well, here's the second part of 'Affections'! Before you read it, I would like to say that there are some (very humorous) mentions of Aunt Flow, so don't say you weren't warned!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Avatar characters; I just like to mess with 'em!
Chapter 7: Affections ( Pt. 2)
The group was sitting in the barn that had been so graciously provided for them. It was the morning after the festival and they were all in considerably better moods than the previous night.
That is, everyone except Sokka. Something seemed to be eating him up from the inside out, and Katara was determined to find out what it was. After she had been so rudely interrupted by his antics at the festival, she felt he owed it to her to spill. After all, what are siblings but walking diaries?
Apparently, Katara's attempt at being the perfect sister was futile, and whatever had Sokka all upset was far beyond her area of expertise. It was official; her big brother was in way over his head.
And judging by the way he was acting, it could only mean one thing.
Katara skipped merrily over to where her brother was seated next to Appa. She plopped down next to him and rested one of her elbows on her knee.
"So, Sokka… looks like someone's got a lady problem, huh?" she teased, prodding his side with her free elbow.
"Oh, I see you're so concerned" he replied sarcastically, referring to her cheeky grin.
"Well, if you don't want to talk about it…" Standing up, she walked away from the deflated Sokka, and made her way to the door.
Turning to face everyone, she announced that she was going for a walk.
When Aang heard this his head automatically shot up. Should he go with her? He really wanted to, and after almost dancing with Katara last night he was itching to spend more time with her, but she didn't invite him. That had never stopped Aang before, but he had become much more self-conscious ever since they came to this place, and decided he had better sit this one out. He probably would've said something stupid anyway, it seemed like killing the mood was one thing he had become quite good at ever since the Cave of Two Lovers.
"Okay, bye" And with that Katara left, and all eyes were on Aang.
"What"
Toph just shook her head empathetically. "You just don't get it, do you?" Aang's look of utter confusion was the answer to that question. "She wanted you to go with her. That's why she waited so long at the door."
"Oh" Now Aang felt terribly guilty. What if Katara thought he hated her now? He had to go find her and apologize!
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Katara loved walks. For as long as she could remember, ever since she was a child and Sokka would take her around on their little 'adventures' through the ice. It seemed today was no exception.
It was true that these little outings reminded her of simpler times at home, although the weather was beautiful in this village, quite the contrast to the icy tundra she used to stroll along.
Katara wasn't complaining. It seemed like the perfect day to go outside, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. The only thing that got her down was the soft breeze that whipped around her every few minutes. It seemed to be reminding her of a certain air bender, and the fact that she was taking this walk alone. Letting out a small sigh, she turned back and headed for the barn.
After a few more moments of walking in silence, the water bender decided it was about time for a pit stop. Selecting a nice large bush, she slid behind it, making sure no one else was around.
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"I should go after her"
It was more of a statement than a question, as Aang looked out the door of the barn and down the trail Katara had left on just a few moments before.
Toph sat lazily near Appa, and shot Aang a half amused, half sympathetic look. "Yup. Too bad you missed your chance."
"She can't have gone too far… I could still catch up to her."
"Don't you get it Twinkle Toes? You're not exactly the person she would want to see right now!"
Aang gritted his teeth as he continued to stare at the trail. 'Then who would that person be? Haru!?!?!'
Suddenly, a scream was heard. It cut through the former silence like an ax through a log. Sokka and Toph's attention turned toward the door, where Aang was ready to sprint out of in a split second.
Sokka immediately recognized the scream to be that of baby's sisters. The shrieking quickly turned into the calling of Sokka's name, and with no time to waste, Sokka on the trail, headed toward the voice.
Just as Aang was about to follow Sokka, Toph held her hand out, signaling him to stop.
"There's a reason why she screamed for Sokka, smart one. Give it time, she'll be fine."
And because there was no arguing with Toph after she had made up her mind, Aang slowly slumped to the ground in defeat, eyes never leaving the entrance to the barn.
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"Sokka! Sokka! SOKKA!!!"
After an agonizing run, Sokka had managed to find the location of the voice. It was coming from behind a bush… spirits know what she was doing back there.
"Hey, Katara, cool it. I'm here."
Sokka cautiously rounded the bush, where he found his sister kneeling on the ground, close to tears.
"What's going on!"
Katara's expression was that of pure fear, and she answered him in a voice nearly smaller than a whisper.
"What was that?"
"I said… I think something's wrong with me. I'm bleeding Sokka!"
The young warrior looked taken aback, but he regained his composure and put a hand on his sister's shoulder.
"What… where?"
"Umm… that's the thing…"
Realization dawned on the poor boy, and he quickly with drew his hand, as if she was going to bite him.
"You don't mean… oh, oh no! I'm NOT going to talk to you about… that! There's no way… I just can't!"
"Well, Sokka, somebody's gonna have to do something real soon, cause I'm starting to get freaked out here!"
Sokka took a deep breath and studied his sister. She had quickly adapted to live as a 14 year old, so much that he would often forget she couldn't remember past the first 12 years of her life.
This however, wasn't one of those times. Apparently, Katara couldn't remember getting 'the talk' on her 13th birthday, and she had just found out about some lady problems of her own.
Now, she just needed someone to explain things too her… and because no one else was around, it looked like Sokka would be the one to do it.
"Ok, well… Katara… I don't know how to say this. You're not going to like it-"
"Oh dear spirits Sokka, am I dieing?!?!?!"
"No- Katara, listen. You won't die, you're just going to- arrghhh!!! I can't do this!!!!"
"OH NO, I AM DIEING!!!"
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"Twinkle Toes, calm down. You know it's impossible for me to relax with you pacing around like that."
Aang stopped his worried movement to look at the blind girl sitting in front of him.
"Calm down? CALM DOWN?!?! How am I supposed to calm down when Katara could be in trouble!?! It's all my fault, I should have gone on that walk with her."
Toph just crossed her arms and rolled her sightless green eyes.
"You know what your worrying tells me? It tells me you don't trust Sokka. There's a reason she called to him instead of me or you, okay? Sokka won't let anything happen to her. Besides, I'm sure she's perfectly fine."
"I guess you're right."
Satisfied with Toph's answer the young monk sank to the ground and crossed his legs. If he was going to wait here, then he might as well get comfortable. Toph was right, he should stop worrying, Katara was probably fine.
Not even a minute after Aang had sat down, another one of Katara's shrill screams pierced through the morning.
"OH NO, I AM DIEING!!!"
Toph felt her own breath hitch at the outburst, though she knew Katara was over exaggerating.
A small sigh was heard behind her, followed by a thump, and Toph knew she was in deep.
Sokka was in the woods with a supposedly 'dieing' Katara, and she was stuck here in this barn- where Aang had just fainted.
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"Whew, glad that's over."
Sokka stood from the hiding place behind the bush, and began to stretch his cramped limbs. He turned back to his sister, whose usually tanned face had paled. She slowly began to walk out from behind the bush, wobbling as though on brand new legs.
Katara took a deep breath, trying very hard not to cry. She wasn't entirely sure why she was so upset, it must be one of those mood swings Sokka had been talking about. Stepping onto the trail, she began to work her way back to the barn, taking care not to trip on her wobbly, sore legs.
"C'mon Katara, pick it up. We should hurry back, Aang was so worried, he must be driving Toph crazy right now."
Aang, worried about her. That was unexpected, for Katara at least. This morning when she announced she was going on a walk, instead of usually going with her, Aang stayed behind. With Toph. She had even stalled at the door, just in case he hadn't heard her. And now he was worried about her.
Maybe there was hope after all.
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Aang awoke to mumbling voices. His head hurt so much, in fact, his whole body was stiff. Apparently he had fallen asleep in a very odd position, in the dirt. He couldn't remember exactly how he got there… but he recalled something about Katara… and… death?
"OH NO! I AM DIEING!!!!"
As soon as the memory came flooding back into his mind Aang shot up as fast as he could. Unfortunately, because of his airbending skills 'as fast as he could' shot him up to the roof of the barn, and he landed in a worse position than when he had woke.
"Oomph"
Toph's head snapped up at the sudden vibrations. Thoughts registered in her mind, and she concluded that Aang must have finally woken up.
"Hey Aang."
"Where is she?!?"
"Did you have a nice nap, because I didn't know guys fainted."
"TOPH!"
The earth bender chuckled to herself, and made a gesture to where Aang had been unconscious just moments before.
"Jeez, cool it Twinkle Toes. Sugar Queen is fine. She came back while you were sleeping. Said something about going to find someone to hang out with until you woke up."
Aang's thoughts immediately turned to Haru, and he knew he had to find Katara to apologize, and most importantly, keep her away from that pretty boy earth bender.
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This was it. Sokka had promised himself last night he was going top get revenge on Haru. Unfortunately, this morning, he had also promised himself he wouldn't use violence. It would look bad if one of the Avatar's friends beat up a villager… no matter how much he deserved it.
So far it didn't matter what Sokka had promised himself, because Haru was no where to be found. He had looked in the market, his mother's house and in the town square, but there was no Haru.
Finally, Sokka got sick of looking. If everyone loved Haru so much, then one person must know where he is. Spying a woman a little older than himself, Sokka put on his friendliest smile and approached the girl, who was standing by one of the shops, examining a small purple flower.
"Excuse me miss, but would you happen to know where Haru is?"
As soon as the words left his lips, the warrior mentally scolded himself. He shouldn't have been so abrupt with the girl. What if she didn't know who Haru was, much less where he was?
The girl remained silent, but raised a finger in the direction Sokka was facing. Thinking that this was where Haru was, Sokka thanked the woman and started on his way.
The forest was thick, and crowded with shrubs that Sokka had a knack for tripping on. This place was so overgrown, it made Sokka wonder why Haru would be there. Why would anyone be there- unless… unless, they had a secret.
The brush seemed to grow thicker the farther he ventured, and Sokka noticed through he canopy, that it seemed to be getting late into the afternoon. 'You had better thank me for this, Toph.'
His legs were sore, and it was getting later. Sokka realized if there was any hope if finding Haru, he would have to power through. He backed up a little, then charged full speed ahead through the bushes. It now seemed like Sokka was pushing through a wall. To get through the immensely thick brush, the warrior put all his weight into it, only to fall flat on his face on the other side of the brush.
As he pulled himself up, Sokka noticed a raggedy looking shack, not 10 away.
'I wonder why Haru would be in there.'
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Worried would be an understatement. When Katara had come back from her walk to find Aang unconscious, she had just about lost it. Maybe it was all the new information about being a teenage girl, but it seemed that finding out her best friend fainted was the last straw.
Katara had pretty much freaked out. It didn't help that her moods were on the fritz, either. She began to fuss over Aang, moods changing every minute. It was quite the show. First, she would feel so bad for him she was close to tears, and then she would be furious at him for not waiting to faint so she could have helped.
Sokka was very thankful Aang was a heavy sleeper.
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Katara had been walking hurriedly around the town for a few hours now. She was looking for something to give Aang that would make him feel better. When he found out he was unconscious she went a little crazy, and even though he was totally out of it at the time of her outburst, she still wanted to make it up to him.
She was in a hurry because she didn't know how long he would be asleep, and she wanted to be there when he woke up. It would have been a lot easier if she could find out what to give him. 'If I was the 12 year old master of all elements, what would make me feel better?'
Katara was starting to think there was no easy answer to that question.
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Ever since Haru had rejected her at the festival, Toph had been working toward one goal. Messing things up, in this case, 'things' meaning Aang and Katara.
It wasn't that she was angry at her friends; it was just that lately she seemed to be mad at the world in general. And if she couldn't have a love life, she wasn't about to spend all her free time with the 'couple of the year'.
So when she saw her opportunity to mess things up this morning, she wasn't about to pass it up.
"Toph, I'm going to find something to make Aang feel better. If he wakes up while I'm gone, make sure to tell him where I am, okay?"
"Sure Katara, no problem."
"Thanks Toph! I owe you one!"
Maybe she felt a little guilty for lying… but she had to do something to keep herself busy around here, and this little soap opera would do her good. It would keep her mind off a certain someone, and how she would feel if he rejected her the way Haru had.
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For such a little village, this place sure had a lot of hiding places. Aang had been searching for Katara for quite some time now, only to come up empty-handed.
He had come close though. There was one girl in blue who had looked a lot like Katara from behind, and since he was in such a hurry to find her the little mix up was understandable.
Now he was back to square one. Katara thought he hated her, and was probably off flirting with Haru or something. And he couldn't even find her to apologize.
Maybe, instead of searching for Katara, Aang should look for Haru. Toph had said she was going out to find someone to hang out with until he woke up. Could that mean she liked him more than Haru? Would she leave Haru to do something with him today?
Now Aang knew, he had to find Haru, so he could find Katara, apologize, and test her by seeing who she spends the day with.
Full of nerves and hope Aang began to look around the small market he was currently standing in. Spying a woman not much older than Sokka, he made his way over, smiling sincerely.
"Excuse me miss, but would you happen to know where Haru is."
The woman did a double take at Aang, almost as if she had seen him before, which was probably the case, seeing as he was the Avatar. She turned to face him fully, and began to giggle.
"So tell me Mr. Avatar, is this some kind of search party?"
Aang just stared blankly at the woman, what on earth was she talking about?
The woman, once again, laughed at his expression, and then simply pointed. Aang turned so he was facing in the direction the finger was pointing, then thanked the woman and sped off.
The woman bowed to the Avatar in respect, but he was already gone when she raised her head. After another lighthearted giggle, she turned back to her shopping, and finally answered Aang's question to no one in particular.
"No, sir, I don't, but if anyone would know, it'd be the fan club."
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The market place was extremely crowded, and it was hard to see the shops. The close proximity to other customers began making Katara a little claustrophobic, and she tried to make her way out of the chaos.
Once she had successfully navigated her way to the outer shops, mixed feelings came across her. She was relieved to get out of there, but also very disappointed that she didn't find anything for Aang. She tried to brush of the feeling, and continued her way out of the marketplace.
When Katara was younger, she had a very hard time focusing. Many times you could find her dinner half- eaten, or her chores partly finished. After her father left for the war, Katara and Sokka were forced to grow up quickly, and slaking was no longer an option.
Unfortunately, Katara had no memory of her rushed childhood, and was still easily distracted. Many times this trait would get her in to some sort of trouble, or just cause a great inconvenience.
This was one of those times. As Katara was walking toward the barn, she saw a pretty woman standing by one of the shops, and the water bender's attention was caught by the lovely little purple flower nestled into her hair.
Her quest to find a cheer-up gift for Aang was forgotten, and Katara knew she needed one of those flowers. Casually she sauntered over to where the woman was standing (the lady couldn't have been much older than Sokka) and plastered on her sweetest smile, preparing to ask where she had found the plant.
The woman looked up, and an amused smile crossed her lips.
"Let me guess, you are one of the Avatar's friends."
A gasp of surprise was heard on Katara's part, followed by a nod.
Katara opened her mouth to speak, but the woman held up a hand, signaling her to stop.
"And I already know you want to ask me a question."
The young water bender's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in astonishment.
"You-you do?"
The woman nodded, and held out her finger in the same direction for the third time that day.
"The answer, is that way."
A wide, childish smile spread across Katara's face as she scurried off in the direction of the forest. She was going to get a flower!
The woman just shook her head, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. 'I wonder why the Avatar and his friends are all searching for Haru.'
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Slowly, Sokka collected himself off the ground and faced the shack. Boomerang in hand; he cautiously approached the small building. The warrior wasn't quite sure why he was so scared, after all, what threatening beast would hide in a shack? And if Haru was in there, well, that was all that mattered.
Just in case the wooden door was locked, Sokka gave it a good kick and it came swinging open. The water tribe warrior burst through the open entryway, to be surrounded by pink, green, and… Haru?
Not exactly what he had been hoping for. Instead of the real Haru, posters of him hung on every wall. Even a few sewn plushies (that looked very similar to voodoo dolls) littered the corners of the room. And in the center of the small shack were six people, staring strait back at Sokka.
Circled around a single table were six strangers, all dressed in clothing different from that of the normal Earth Kingdom attire. Across the front of their robes, in big green letters were the words:
'OFFICIAL HARU FANCLUB MEMBER'
He had traveled around the world on an air bison's back and been to many strange places, but words could not explain how out of place Sokka felt at that moment.
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Aang was a kind monk, if you knew him you could tell he wasn't type to hold a grudge, but all of that changed when it came to Katara.
He was the Avatar, and anything in the world he wanted was pretty much handed to him on a silver platter, he was higher than royalty itself. But she was the one thing he couldn't have. To face the truth, Aang wasn't exactly the picture of manly perfection. He was short, bald, and skinny. In fact, if you had just met him it would be very hard to tell he was the single most powerful being on the entire earth.
But Dear Spirits, did he love this girl. It didn't matter that he had taken a silly vow not to love 100 years ago, he knew this feeling was much stronger than any promise he could make.
Now, the only thing that stood in between Aang and the girl of his dreams was pretty boy Haru, and Aang was determined to get him out of the way, no matter what the cost.
Simply walking through this forest was not enough, and Aang had to use his air bending if he wanted to find the two before Haru had the chance to woo Katara with his charm.
He propelled himself forward, until he came across what appeared to be a wall of plants, with an odd- shaped hole in the center.
As Aang warily passed through, he wondered what kind of deranged animal made the opening in the brush.
'It must have been pretty stupid to run through like that.'
Aang kept walking until he was face to face with a shack, the door slightly ajar.
'This must be the place.'
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She must have been crazy. That was the only explanation. Why else would that woman pick her way through this muggy forest for a little flower? It was ridiculous.
'Then I must be crazy too' Katara thought to herself, as she continued to stumble through the thick wood, in search of the tiny purple treasure. Things were starting to look hopeless, and it was getting late. Sokka would kill her if he knew she was out in the woods, at night, alone.
Suddenly, this whole flower thing seemed like a bad idea, and Katara began to curse her short attention span. It was no longer a fun little outing, but now a creepy maze- like trap in the dark. A branch snapped behind her, and Katara realized she didn't have her water pouch slung around her waist, so she did the next best thing.
She ran for her life.
Unfortunately, no matter how fast she would go, she would always end up tripping on some kind of root or shrub placed in a most inconvenient spot. After what seemed like endless running she came to a large wall of plants, and ducked through a strange hole.
However, when she got through to the other side, she thought she could hear a familiar voice calling to her, it almost sounded like… Haru?
She didn't stick around to find out. Spying a shack not to far from the shrubbery wall she ducked around back and hid underneath one of the windows, hoping to hide from whatever was chasing her, and get a better view of what was happening inside.
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Sokka shifted uncomfortably, and opened his mouth, but no words came out. Taking in a deep breath, and clenching his boomerang for reassurance, he looked directly at the girls (and the middle aged man who accompanied them) and addressed the one standing closest to him.
"Who are you?" he asked, sounding more like the victim here than the one who had barged into the shack in the first place.
The tallest girl (she seemed to be the leader) took charge and marched strait up to Sokka. She then turned around to face the others in the room and smiled.
"Did you hear that, ladies… and Botan. This boy wants to know who we are!"
Immediately the youngest member of the group jumped up from her previous spot on the floor and gestured to the banner in the back of the shack. (Note: Hehe... I rhymed!)
Following the child's flapping arms, Sokka averted his eyes so he could see the large green and pink paper. It read:
HARU'S OFFICIAL FAN CLUB
So that explains the shirts… Sokka looked back at the 'fan club' and noticed they were all young girls, except for a strange man who sat in the corner, flower adorned in his hair. 'Why am I not surprised? If everyone loves Haru so much, why not make a fan club! How predicable… well, aside from that man, Botan, he is a little 'out of the ordinary'….'
Sokka puffed out his chest and prepared his 'manly voice'. It was shameful to think that earlier he had been scared of a bunch of girls and some guy with a flower in his hair.
"So, ladies…" he paused, and bowed to the majority of the club "Botan" another pause, this time directed toward the back where the only male member resided peacefully, "Long story short, I've got to find Haru… would any of you know where he is?"
The child once again jumped up, but an older girl held her back, and spoke to her in an affectionate tone
"Aimi, no, let the big girls handle this one." Then the girl (Sokka guessed she was a twin judging by the other girl who looked exactly like her) changed demeanor quickly and stomped over to where Sokka was awkwardly standing.
"How dare you question our knowledge of beloved Haru! Of course we know where he is!"
Her twin joined them in the center of the room and stomped her foot loudly, adding emphasis on her sister's statement.
Backing up a bit Sokka forced out a smile. "That's great, if you would just tell me, then I could be on my way."
Right as another girl opened her mouth the door shot open and slammed Sokka in the back of the head… hard.
As the warrior fell to his knees, the young monk whose air bending has just forced them into this mess stepped forward.
"Alright, where is he?!"
Assuming by 'he' Aang meant the only conscious male (besides himself) in the room, all hands pointed to an oblivious Botan.
Giving a semi-drunken grin Botan half- bowed, half- rested his chin on his chest. "How may I help you sir?"
Aang looked dumbfounded. This was not what he had been expecting… no Haru… no Katara. Just a bunch of fan girls (and one fan-man).
For the first time since his arrival the Avatar noticed Sokka, lying on the ground, from his doing.
"Ahhh! Sokka, I'm so sorry!"
A muffled groan was head from the teen, as he struggled to keep his balance.
"S'okay Aang. Wait, what are you doing here!"
Not wanting to reveal his plot to save Katara from Haru's grasp, Aang searched for an excuse. "Well, um… I could ask you the same question!"
Afraid to tell about his plot to free Toph from Haru's spell Sokka made a desperate attempt to get out of this predicament. "I was uhh… attending the fan club meeting?" he offered in a most unconvincing voice.
Aang raised an eyebrow in response, but before anyone could do anything the door opened again, this time less aggressively, and Katara slipped in.
Once inside Katara looked around wildly, trying to take in everything that was crammed into the small hut. Her eyes landed on the Avatar (completely conscious and everything) and she let out a yelp of excitement.
She rushed over to where he was standing and pulled him in a tight hug. "Oh, Aang, I'm so glad you're alright! Toph said you fainted while we were gone and, oh, you had me worried sick!"
Aang smiled and hugged her back, sighing into her shoulder "I'm fine Katara. Really."
Satisfied with the answer she pulled back, and finally noticed her strange surroundings.
"Where on earth are we- wait a second. You, there, in the corner" Katara left Aang's side and advanced toward Botan. "Where did you get that flower?!"
The change in events once again had Aang stupefied. He looked to Sokka for help, who in turn explained Katara's former case of A.D.D.
"Oh, this?" Botan asked, twirling the small purplish flower in between this thumb and index. "Got this in the town market just this morning. In fact, there was a whole cart full of 'em."
Thinking back to her morning spent in the busy market, she did recall seeing a lot of purple in one cart, she has just been too busy to notice. Then, she had seen the exact same flower in the woman's hair… and she had almost gotten killed running through the forest at night. If she had gone through all that, Katara knew one thing for sure.
She was not leaving without a flower.
Botan noticed the way the Water Tribe girl was eyeing his flower, and began to get fidgety. As she drew closer, he realized she was intent on stealing his flower, what she didn't know was he was intent on keeping it.
Right as Katara was about to make a grab for the purple shrub he lurched to his feet and took off out the door. Mind set on that dang flower Katara followed in hot pursuit, with Sokka close behind, screaming at her not to run off in the woods at night.
So that left Aang. And a group of very angry fan girls. Hoping to avoid further confrontation with the unhappy gang of Haru lovers, Aang rushed after his friends (and Botan).
"Give me the flower!"
"No way!"
"I SAID-"
"Katara, you should really-"
"GIMEE THE FLOWER!"
The trio was past the wall of shrubs and headed deeper into the forest when it happened. The three stumbled onto a fourth person, the very person everyone had been looking for.
Haru.
The forest fell silent, as everyone continued to stare at the young earth bender. Finally Sokka broke the silence.
"Good, Haru. I need to ask you something, WHERE THE HECK DO YOU HIDE?! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU ALL DAY!"
Wanting to please the warrior (because that's how perfect and sincere he is) Haru held out his hands in a shrug and gave a heart-warming smile.
"What a coincidence, I've been looking for you"
As he spoke, a loud crash was heard behind the Water Tribe siblings, signaling Botan had just fainted at the sound of Haru's voice. Remembering how Aang fainted just this morning, Sokka sighed at the lack of manliness around him. Hopefully this 'sissy' thing wasn't contagious.
Dropping to one knee Haru scooted closer to the Water Tribe siblings, and pulled out what appeared to be some time of 'promise ring' expertly carved out of stone. Sokka remembered Toph speaking of the Earth Kingdom custom, if a boy liked a girl a lot he made her a ring out of stone as a promise of marriage when they come of age.
And now here he was, worrying Haru liked Toph, and watching him basically propose to his sister. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! Katara was supposed to marry Aang, not this guy!
But he wasn't the only witness anymore. A bit of rustling in the bushes, and Aang popped out about 50 feet away from the group. His eyes widened with shock (and what appeared to be fear) as he comprehended the scene displayed before him.
The boy's eyes flew from Katara to the boy kneeling down in front of her, and then finally landed on the ring he held.
It all happened so fast. The next thing Sokka knew Aang was running full-speed toward them (which took about 4 seconds thanks to air bending) screaming.
"KATARA, NO! DON'T DO IT!" Once close enough he took he hand and looked her strait in the eyes. "Please, don't. Ilove you"
And again with the quiet. Everyone stood around and let what had just happened sink in. Sokka always knew how it would go. He knew that one day Aang would confess to Katara, but he never expected the day to come so soon. He also imagined, considering the monk's shyness around his sister, that Aang would blush, look away, shuffle his feet, or something!
Instead Aang was just standing there, staring at Katara with all seriousness. No stuttering, mumbling, apologizing for the deep secret he had just let slip out. Serious, but definitely not confident. The fear was evident in his eyes as he waited for Katara to reply.
But it was Haru, not Katara, whose voice found itself first.
"Wait a second… You think that I like her."
That was how Haru found himself getting stupid looks from everyone (aside from Botan, who was still out cold).
Aang stared at Haru, then the ring, then Katara standing in front of it.
"So if you weren't proposing to Katara, then…."
All heads turned toward the person standing next to Katara, also in front of the ring.
"YOU LOVE SOKKA?!"
A bush was evident on the earth bender's face as he slowly nodded his head.
It seemed that lately the Spirits liked playing tricks on Sokka. Many things had been happening, but not the way the warrior had expected…. Then again, Sokka thrust himself into a life of surprise the moment he left his familiar block of ice to travel with the Avatar.
But still, Toph flirting with Haru, Aang confessing his love to Katara, and now Haru liked him! Things were getting pretty twisted around here, although Botan would be pretty happy to learn Haru was gay…
All this talk of love made him think of a certain moon princess who was supposed to watch over them and make sure these things never happened. Now, Sokka was positive.
This was a joke, and all the Spirits were up there laughing.
Aang was unaware of his hand still clenching Katara's as he watched Sokka tilt his head back, so his gaze was on the sky, toward the moon.
"IT'S NOT FUNNY, YUE!"
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Note: Whew! Finally done! There it is, chapter 7, pt. 2 of 'Affections'. 18 whole pages on Microsoft word! This chapter took a long time to write, but it is probably my favorite yet. This is the longest piece of writing I have ever made, but as a reader I like chapters to be long.
Please review and tell me how you liked it. Also, in your reviews I would like you to vote on the ending to this story. As of now I'm not sure how long this will be, but I do have some sort of ending in mind. If you review (which I hope you do) tell me if you would enjoy a kind of 'bitter sweet' ending, a purely 'happiness and sunshine' ending, or a sad one.
A giant thanks to Keshii, who came up with the idea for this chapter, read through and assured me she liked it, and listened patiently while I went on and on about how bad of a writer I am.! I couldn't have done this without you! "Affections" is dedicated you!
Sorry if Toph seemed a little OOC or mean in this, but she had to be for the story to work. I promise to get more in depth with her and add some Tokka in the next few chapters.
Thanks a bunchles for reading, and please review!