Chapter 5 Simple moments

Sokka sat pouting by his make-shift fire, a shaft shoved through his Ostrich-Turkey leg. His bangs kept blowing in his eyes every time the sea breeze caught them, and it became a sad process of watching him fail at blowing them out of his face. Aang had been content to let him pout for a bit as he pulled out some hay he had bought for Appa. He enjoyed the moment to just feed his oldest friend and had a hand lodged in the Bison's fur. "What do you think Appa? Would Katara say yes if I asked her to marry me?" The Air-bison blinked in-between bites as he seemed to contemplate this question, finally he let out a low rumbling sound, something oddly reassuring. Aang nodded, "Thanks buddy."

His next question he was sure would make the large beast more determined to find the other air-benders. "Do you think there might be other Air-bison left? Like a girl one… one you might like?" Appa gave a deep rumbling sigh as he wondered the same thing. "Don't worry! I'm sure there is… I even bet you will have several to choose from when we find the hidden city!" He tried to sound as hopeful as possible as he gave his friend another pat, the bison seemingly cheered by this idea, as Aang wondered over to start preparing the rest of what everyone would be eating that was non-meat. Silver eye's blinked confusedly as he looked over his distressed companion, usually Sokka would have started up conversation by now, something had to be way wrong.

"Sokka? Are you-" "You know what really bothers me Aang! How crazy women are!" Aang blinked at Sokka's random statement, unsure what to say and not given the chance anyway. "I mean, Suki gets so upset all the time… randomly, then makes it out to be nothing! She cry's, and yell's randomly… then doesn't explain why! It's so frustrating! And then she goes on about how she thinks I'll make a good father! But how does she know that? How does she know I won't completely screw up my own kid? How does she think she can just say that and it's true?" Aang stopped what he was planning to do as he went and sank down beside his friend, concern written all over his face. "Are you upset about random mood swings? Or are you more upset with your fears of being a bad father?" Sokka looked up his blue eyes miserable, deep circles under them from lack of proper sleep. "I guess both… I mean, by all accounts and purpose's I never really had a father… or a father figure to look up too as all the men in my village were off on that spirit's-forsaken-war… How could I possibly know how to be a good father when I never really had one myself?"

Aang put a reassuring arm on his friends shoulder, patting it lightly. "Sokka, I've never met a man as thoughtful, caring, or more prepared for father-hood then you. I don't think it's possible for you not to be a good dad… I mean, when things have gotten sticky in the past, it was always you who helped us all find a way out of it… Not only that, but you've always had a way… just like Katara with parenting, everyone always complains when Katara get's motherly… but I don't think any of us really realize how much you get fatherly on the rest of us… I mean, your great with any situation you're put up against. You can do this. I have faith in you." Sokka stared at Aang like he'd grown a third head, but he seemed to calm a bit as he fiddled with the stick holding his meat over the fire.

"You think I was fatherly? How?" Aang smiled as several different memories popped in his head. "How about all the times one of us got in a fight with the other and you took it upon yourself to diffuse the situation, or how about every time you've gone out on that last ledge or limb to save one of us, knowing you had no bending abilities to aid you, you did it anyway!" "yeah but that's just being a good friend…" "Isn't that what fathers are though? I mean, I wouldn't really know ether… Your talking to a guy raised by monks on the art of forgetting ones family in order to reach perfect peace…" he snorted as he realized just how distasteful that idea seemed now, just like it had back when he had been told to forget his love for Katara way back when he was trying to master the Avatar state.

"I guess your right… -" "Remember last year, when we were all celebrating Azuna's birthday…? Dude you were the one she came to every time, she followed you everywhere!" Sokka smiled as he remembered the beautiful little girl he had come to love as a niece. "Yeah but she liked you a lot too!" "ha! Not nearly as much, sure I was the fun one to play with air bending stuff… but you were the one she favored! That alone is proof that you will make a good dad." "How is THAT, proof? One child liked me… ok, no biggie." Aang shook his head. "No you don't get it… You even took a nap with her a few times, not once did you ever get annoyed by her insistence on hanging out with you, even when she was crying all you had to do was pick her up and she'd stop. You're a natural." Sokka thought over the memories Aang mentioned and smiled, 'maybe being a dad won't be so hard after all…' "I guess your right… I forgot all about that…" Aang sighed shaking his head as he went back to preparing food.

"So when are you going to ask her?" Aang froze mid movement at the sudden change of topic. "uh…um… ask who wh-what?" Sokka rolled his eyes as he fought not to tease the airbender for his newly sported shade of red he was turning, instead he twisted his meat-on-a-stick some more. "You know what I mean. When are you going to ask Katara to marry you? It's obvious Aang… we've all known it was coming. You'll be sixteen in two months and no one expects to see you wait any longer to make it official." Aang dropped to his knees, his back facing his inquisitive friend, as his hand tucked back into his orange robe, fingering the necklace hidden there. "Well… h-how do I even know if she will say… say y-yes?" He couldn't stop the stuttering, it wasn't going to be possible at this point, nor could he deny the blush that was even showing up on his pale arms as he had just admitted to the truth, He was going to ask at some point. Sokka gave a dry chuckle. "Oh Aang! It's Katara were talking about, my sisters been so in love with you…-" He stood up to pat his friend on the back. The process of which knocked the very special necklace out of the nomads hand and onto the ground. Aang's eyes grew wide as Sokka froze mid-pat, his eyes locked on the shimmering diamond attached to the orange leather strap that seemed to catch every piece of sunlight in the early afternoon sky.

"-Well… I guess that answers that question…" The water tribesmen said in a mono-tone. Sokka knew it was going to happen, knew that one day he'd look at Aang as a brother and not just a friend. But at the same time, talking about it, and seeing visible proof were too very different things. He had picked it up before Aang could manage to grab it, having been caught so off guard he had reacted slowly. Sokka whistled as he held the circular stone above his head to see the beautifully carved rainbows that reflected within the diamond. Then he lowered it to admire the actual carving, "Well that's different…" Aang nodded stiffly, still unsure how to interpret Sokka's mood. "

I like it. Wish I would of thought of that when I made Suki's… maybe I can make her another one with your help?" He finally took his eyes off the engagement necklace too look at Aang's terrified face. He laughed. "Relax man, I've been long sense prepared for you to be a brother to me one day… it's just, weird to see the proof." The monk nodded dumbly, his eyes darting from the necklace to his friends blue gaze. "You're not…p-pissed then?" he managed to get out, Sokka smiled and held out a hand for Aang to use as leverage to stand. He patted the avatar on the back as he handed the necklace back to him. "How could I be pissed? You've never done anything except prove time and time again how much you love my sister. And, you're the freaking Avatar! Who wouldn't want you as a brother-in-law?" Aang blushed, giving a sheepish smile as he tucked the precious article back into his robe.
"Now about that necklace for Suki…" Aang laughed at his friend. "Ok… what about it-"

Toph sighed as she played clothing holder for the two girls as they picked out random things. "Oh! Toph this would look so good on you!" and it was tossed into her arms. "Ouuu Katara this would so compliment your eye's!" again tossed onto Toph. "Suki check this one out! You can even wear it as your stomach grows more!" rinse repeat. Toph fought the urge to drop everything and storm out of the building. The only reason she hadn't yet was because she knew the girls were pulling out stuff for her too, that she hadn't been forgotten.

"Let's try them on!" Suki announced cheerfully when they could no longer see their blind friends face. "Bout' time!" Toph mumbled as she was guided into a large room with the other two. Slowly they began fitting themselves into different outfits, Katara had crafted a mirror out of ice and they took turns turning in front of it. "Na, that one won't work… it's just not really you." Katara commented on one Toph had put on that she had in the pile dedicated to her "Oh darn… you sure? I think it's cute! Different, but she's growing a lot so it might fit her in some aspects… it's certainly complimenting!" Suki interjected. "What's it look like? I mean, I feel half naked…" the earth bender asked with a rare hint of uncertainty. "Well, It's red…" "No duh." She said sarcastically to Suki's comment, receiving a glare that she couldn't see anyway. "Actually Toph, it looks a lot like the one I stole back before we defeated Ozai… But it's a little girly for something you usually prefer. I mean, it cuts at the right angles but I'm pretty sure you'd get a few cat-calls for wearing it…" Toph smiled in appreciation of Katara's description. "Have I really become pretty enough for cat-calls?"

Suki and Katara looked at one another with wide eyes, Sure the water bender was aware that Toph cared a little but she never knew that the Blind young woman was so insecure about her looks. "Toph… you didn't know?" Suki asked gently, the girl in questions eyebrows drew together. "Know what? Can't you just answer my question?" She hated feeling insecure, or at least allowing others to know she actually ever felt that way. "Toph, you're a beautiful woman..." Katara finally said after a few minutes. "We always thought you knew that… or at least didn't care…" Suki said after. "Really?" Toph blinked her blind eyes, uncertainty filling her words as she consider the possibilitie she was actually even just pretty, let alone beautiful. "You know, now that I think about it… I can see how she doesn't know, I mean she doesn't see when village boy's give her the look … " "you know your right… I never thought about that, I guess I always figured she could just sense they were looking…"

"Yeah, I knew people looked at me, but I always thought it was just because I'm intimidating… not because I'm pretty" Katara shook her head. "I take it back, you're getting this outfit… now try this on too." She handed her younger friend a pinkish colored dress style one, something very un-Toph but would look beautiful on her. "Oh, I do like that one, the green trimming will totally bring out her eye's…" Toph grinned to Suki and the girls resumed the task of trying on all their outfits.

All three girls were beaming as they strolled out of the store and down the streets, each of them sporting a new outfit and carrying a bag with one other. "Well that was defiantly fun! Why don't we do that more?" Suki asked with a chipper tone, one hand rubbing her stomach as she looked to Katara then Toph. "I guess it wasn't so bad… this new outfit at least feel's much more roomy then my old one…" The earth bending young woman fingered her new cloths. The pants were blackish green, a red fabric with a green strip falling in the front and back of them that had a thin white stripe lining it. The top was red, with black, white, and green embroider, cut half way like a V down her stomach, exposing a bit of the creamy flesh, the cut gave off a hint of her cleavage as it came up and formed sleeves that went to cut just below her shoulder. The back exposed over half of her skin as it wrapped around like a very short shirt that made a V as it came up to her shoulder blades, all of the shirt was lined in a thin white stripe like the fabric over her pants. She even had a new hair band, this one having a fire daisy on the right side, though it was small.

Katara had on a dark red outfit close to Toph's but different if the fact it tied at the neck instead of forming sleeves, and also by the black bolder strip that lined both ends of the V and also the waist and cuffs of her pants. The fabric that hung in front and back of her pants was just as deep a red as the shirt, which was so dark it too was almost black, mixed within this was a deep blue coloring which had been what drew her to loving the cloth so much. Suki's was a full shirt, though it tied in the neck, exposing almost all of her upper back. The shirt part fell all the way down to look more like a dress then shirt, and her pants were also black with red trimming, the rest of the outfit was trimmed in black giving off a look of lethal elegance. Each outfit was distinctly fire-nation, but very well fitted to their new owners. The girls were very happy with their buys as they headed down towards the shore where the guy's were finishing up preparations for lunch.

Sokka had to stop himself from drooling as he took in Suki's new outfit, sure it was very modest for some of the things she wore, but it looked absolutely beautiful on her. Green eyes met blue and she smiled back at him as the three girls walked along the sandy shore to where the camp was. "Suki… " Was all the Water tribe boy could say as he wrapped her in his arms and stared into those beautiful eyes. Toph snorted before heading straight for the food, and Katara looked around the camp for any sight of her own handsome man. "Um… where's Aang?" "Beach…" was Sokka's mumbled reply before his lips crashed against his wife's in an unrelenting way. Katara walked away, somewhat to escape that sight, but mostly just to find her missing Air-Bender.

Aang was perched on a solid black rock that jutted out of the water half a mile from shore. His top robes were safely left at camp as he sat cross-legged in his wet pants, meditating. This is what Katara saw from her view point on the beach. She smiled something slightly wicked as she slipped out of her new cloths, nothing but her chest bindings and lower under cloths on as she dived into the water silently. She swam with the speed of her water bending and had popped up quietly behind Aang's rock.

She grinned before nearly freezing some of the surface water and shooting it at his still form. Aang was always one to be attuned to what was around him, but he was even more so during basic meditation so he had known she was there before she had even surfaced, He held up his arm and redirected the very cold water back at his beautiful woman, Shocked but not so much that she'd lose this, Katara Stopped the water mid way, she froze a chunk under her feet and let it lift her out of the water as she stood strong. Aang smiled as he climbed to his feet with a bit of air bending and turned to face her, all the while balancing the water that was being fought over for dominance. He took a deep breath and fluidly moved his arm's forcing it a few inches closer to Katara. She was already prepared for this and had countered it to where instead it moved a few inches towards him instead. He blinked surprised as a wide smile grew over his face and he shot out a surprise water spout from behind his stunningly beautiful girlfriend. She smirked as she countered it by guiding that burst over her head at the same time as pushing the freezing cold ball of water closer to him at the same time. Caught off a bit by this the water meant for Katara's head ended up splashing Aang himself. He laughed as he jumped into the water, freezing it as he ran, she followed him intimately as they circled one another in a battle over the freezing cold water in-between them.

Sweat had begun to form as they had started to use other attacks in an attempt to win over ground. Katara had water whipped Aang onto his butt several times, but he in turned had coated her in a good bit of water several times over. Katara realized that it was to be a stale mate long before Aang did, but being the stubborn type she acted on a last ditch effort by jumping into Aang's surprised arms and kissing him, the move caught him so off guard that she had him coated in the freezing water in seconds. However, this idea backfired as he had clung to her and managed to get her soaked just the same as him. Instead of being cold from the water both felt like they were on fire as skin touched skin, he pulled her tight against him suddenly in desperate need, this was something they hadn't really experienced much of and it caught them in the midst of its powerful heat. Katara wrapped her legs around his waist as her tong fought with his over dominance. One of Aang's hands was supporting her weight as he stayed suspended on an icy block, while the other was buried in her hair. He was relishing in the feeling of her silky skin against his own and forgot to keep the temperature under him frozen. When it melted they both fell straight under the water, but it didn't stop them, for a good while they both craved something far more then oxygen. Touches became frantic, her hands rubbing his shoulders and holding onto the back of his neck, Feeling even more lightheaded from this physical contact that was so foreign to them both as they were filled with such a deep need.

Finally after their starved lungs could no longer take it, Aang kicked his feet to the surface where they both gasped for breath. Katara didn't release him from her hold for long though before her lips which had tasted his salt water covered neck moments before, re-claimed his mouth. The air-bender couldn't think long enough and they sank below the waves again as they kissed one another like their lips were the air their lungs desperately needed. Never before had Aang been so tempted to swim back to the rock he knew wasn't far from them and take what in his heart and soul he new belonged to him. Once that thought fully registered in his mind he kicked them both back up to the surface again, and pulled back enough that Katara's sinfully pleasurable tong couldn't distract him quite so easily. She moaned in momentary annoyance of being pushed away as she struggled to catch her breath, and he moaned from hearing her do so, the need for her still clinging tightly to his over sensitive nerves. "Wow…" Aang said after a few very deeply needed bouts of oxygen had been pulled back into his lungs. Katara nodded, a blush creeping up her cheeks as they held their heads above the water. He smiled at her, "You know you drive me nuts right?"

She laughed lightly. "Speak for yourself… I'm still debating on tackling you again…" Aang smiled but swam back a bit. "N-not such a good idea…" He said sheepishly. "I know, I just said I'm debating it…" "oh well if you meant it that way, I'm debating on if I'm an idiot for stopping or not…" Katara laughed fully as she floated on her back, looking up at the sky. "If you didn't then I'd have to be the strong one… I don't think I'd do as good a job as you…" He grinned as he followed her idea and allowed his body to float to the surface, using a mixture of water bending and air bending he pulled himself close enough to take one of her hands in his, then slowly allowed the currents to pull them towards shore. "That was fun though… another thing I wish we could do more often…" "I agree, but at the same time… it might not be so easy to stop if we did that more…" "What if we didn't have to stop…?" He regretted the words the second they left his mouth. "Huh?" She asked curiously as she struggled to look at him from her floating position. "I-I mean… w-what if we were you know… I mean mar-married?" She blinked a few times as she thought about that. Sure she had pictured Aang holding their child, or where things could go if they were married and didn't have the same limits, but it wasn't something they ever really talked about, she really wasn't even sure he could get married with being a monk. "Well… then I'd say why not!" she finally said, a small laugh following as she fought over the idea to ask her question.

Aang knew her well enough to know she was thinking something. "What?" He finally asked, though he couldn't hide the nervous tone from his voice. "Well… " She took a deep breath. "Can you get married?" He scrunched up his eyebrows as he wondered if he had heard her correctly. "Come again?" "Can… can you actually get married? You know… being a monk?" He smiled, though held back the laugh. "Yes Katara, I can… Air-Monks were the majority of our race… we HAD to repopulate somehow…" She chuckled a bit at hearing this, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her chest. He smiled up at the sky as he realized what she must have been thinking, and that if she had gone there how she probably had also thought of being married to him. "I love you Katara…" He spoke up after a while of just drifting. "I love you too Aang." She smiled as they could both hear the lapping of waves now, meaning they were at the shore and once again back in the real world.
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And there you go folks, chapter 5... if half of it doesn't make sense it's because I'm half asleep, just let me know what you think! =)

Again thank you for the reviews, every one of them means something to me! y'all rock!

I hope to see a few more reviews before I get chapter 6 up and out here... =)

Thanks for reading!

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