A/N: MeganAMusicLover here to tell you why the dream couple Kataang ever split up. It somehow became the saddest part of this entire story. I even brought a few tears to my own eyes.
Hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading!
There was the sound of fumbling keys at the door, and a handsome eighteen year old Aang quickly opened and shut the door, wiping his sandals on the doormat and putting his glider against the wall.
A twenty-one year old Katara came over and took the Daily Nation from his hands, shaking it over the doormat to try and get some of the water off; it was useless, and she just threw it on the table. Then, she hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. Even after four years, he blushed red when her lips made contact with his cold, wet skin.
"Welcome home, honey. How are things in Ba Sing Se?" Katara asked, taking Aang's hand and walking him over to the kitchen counter where she had a delicious feast of salads, pastries and other vegetarian-friendly food set out in preparation for their date.
"Relations between the monarchy and the peasantry are still rough, but I think that the economy will soon improve which will make everyone a little happier. Things should smooth out then," Aang had only just finished getting the sentence out when Katara placed her lips on his and kissed him as hard as she could. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her back, trying to display all of the love and devotion he had for her with that one simple action.
They sat down to eat, talking about their respective months—as Aang had been gone for nearly that long with Avatar duties to attend to—and their laughter and shared warm gazes made the home feel so comfortable that they almost forgot about the freezing rain and sleet falling outside the walls of the house.
Later on they curled up under a blanket together in front of their fireplace and shared old memories from early in their relationship. Katara laughed at Aang when he described how she had looked like a goddess as she stood over him after he escaped the iceberg. Aang laughed at her back when she told him how jealous she had gotten on Kyoshi Island when all of the girls there had fawned all over him.
Later on the night, they were simply hugging and basking in the glow of being together after having been separated for so long, when Katara suddenly asked, "Aang? Will this ever stop?"
Aang stroked her hair softly and gazed down into her cool blue eyes, inquiring, "What do you mean?"
Katara fidgeted a bit and pushed back from his chest so she could look into his eyes as well, murmuring quietly, "Will you ever be home more often than you are away?" Her eyes moved back and forth between his, trying to read his expression.
His brow furrowed and he pushed some stray hairs behind the shell of her ear. "Katara, the world will always need saving… I may never be home more often than not," he said sadly. He kissed her forehead and brought her back close to his chest.
"Oh. Yes, I suppose you're right. How silly of me…" Katara sighed. Aang heard the breath catch in her throat, and also noticed how she bit her lip to keep from crying. He hugged her tighter.
"You are always welcome to come with me Katara… I know you can handle anything that is thrown at you; you've always been able to keep up with me, though I have four elements and you only one," Aang offered, hopeful. He had always wanted her at his side, fighting as a dynamic duo again.
"Yes, I know. I prefer being in one place though, after all those years traveling and being on the run. Do you want me to come along sometimes, honey?" Katara queried, her voice sounding forcefully cheerful. Aang knew she hated traveling now, for exactly the reason she had said.
"Oh no it's fine, you don't need to if you don't want to. I was just suggesting it as a way to get around my being away a lot of the time." Aang lowered his head onto hers, and felt her chest heaving with restrained sniffles and tears. "I'm sorry Katara," he said simply, squeezing her more tightly.
Those three words set her off and suddenly she was sobbing nearly as hard as she had when her mother had been taken from her, or when Aang had almost died. She clutched his traditional air monk's robes and buried her face in his lean body, letting all of her loneliness and misery out in this one moment. And Aang just let her cry.
He whispered his apology and regret over and over, holding her to his chest as though she would break if he let her go. When she had cried herself out and held no more tears, he pulled her away from his chest and took a good long look at her.
Searching her eyes for the truth, he inquired, "…Is it truly worth being with me at this point, Katara?.."
The look on Aang's face nearly broke Katara's heart in two, but for some reason she couldn't answer immediately.
His eyes became downcast and his grip on her shoulders loosened, while his own shoulders slumped in defeat. "I understand."
"Aang! Of course it's worth being with you. I love you," Katara bubbled out, her face heartbroken and her words lacking vitality. She meant every word, or at least she had at one point. But she was twenty-one, and the lonely days had taken their toll on her and their relationship.
Aang dropped his hands from her shoulders, her words and the lack of conviction there resounding in his ears like his heartbeat after he came out of the Avatar state; he suddenly aged fifty years, and his eyes grew distant.
"I haven't been being fair to you, my dear. I love you as well. I love you with all my heart. But I don't think I can let myself keep doing this to you," he began to stand slowly, not meeting her eyes.
Katara's tears burst forth once again and she said brokenly, "Aang I can't let you leave; I love you so much. I'm fine, really, I promise. I'll busy myself more next time. We can make this work."
He finally found her sapphires, and they cried out to him like a frightened animal. She was lost, and hurting, and didn't quite know what was right and wrong anymore. And he knew what he wanted, and what he should do; they were two very different things.
"Maybe we can make it work, but that's not living. You can't love someone who is gone more often than he is here, holding you and cherishing you, and still be happy. It can work, but it can't thrive. And darling you deserve a person who you can thrive with, and love all of the time, and be with for the rest of your days." Aang's voice was sad, but resolute. "I will always love you."
He hugged her gently and began walking toward the door. The rain outside had stopped, and the crickets were out in full force, their mournful, beautiful songs filling the night. It was as though they were playing the soundtrack to this night.
Katara would have tried to convince him yet again, however she knew he would not be swayed. Aang had grown into quite the wise young man in the four years since the end of the war, and in her heart she realized this was for the best too. This way they could go their separate ways while they were both young; they could always be friends, and they could both find the person they were destined to be with before they got in too deep to get back out. This was a good decision.
So why did it hurt so much?
"Aang, I love you too. And I always will." She came up behind him and placed a small hand on his shoulder as he slid his sandals on. She bit her lip, but she couldn't keep the sobs down.
Aang heard her distress and whirled around, pulling her to him and kissing her hard. There was absolutely nothing tender about this kiss; with it he revealed how much he hated the decision he was making, hated the situation he had been born into and how it prevented him from being the man she needed him to be, and hated leaving her. It conveyed to her the depth of his love for her, and the internal struggle she knew he would suffer for probably the rest of his life over this decision.
She kissed him back with just as much fervor and passion, laying her soul on the line and telling him that she felt the same way, exactly. They were two sides of the same coin, two souls cut from the same cloth. They were one being, forcing themselves to part and live two separate lives.
They parted slowly, gazing into each other's eyes, the shine of tears filling both stormy gray and sky blue, and they leaned their heads together, breathing heavily from the emotion charging the room.
"I will always love you. And I hope we can always be friends. I'm sorry I can't be what you need, Katara," Aang's eyes shut and his brow furrowed with sadness and the pain of losing his love. "But I don't want you to regret this. I don't want you to be stuck in time and thinking about this for the rest of your life. We will always be great friends, and we can both move on. This is the best thing to do."
"I know, Aang. I'm glad we had our run. It was perfect while it lasted. You were perfect," she bit her lip yet harder, sniffling. They hugged again. "I promise we will always be friends."
She felt him nod atop her head, and then heard more than saw him pull away. He kissed her on the crown of her head once, then, grabbing his staff, exited her home. They shared a longing look as the door shut, and both heard the other whisper a simple, "Goodbye."
A/N: So that was a real tear-jerker. Only after I finished it did I realize it sort of went with Rihanna's "Stay." Imagine that.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to review if you liked, or if you didn't! Have a nice day!
