Yuppers, these just keep coming, dont they?
This is actually the idea that sparked this entire story! I wanted Katara to confide her thoughts to someone, and we all know talking to another person doesn't help much. There was only one logical choice... :3
I still own nothing!
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A Convincing Argument
I walked towards the food that was left out for Appa, picking up a few fruits and bringing them to him. It wasn't as if he couldn't feed himself, but I really needed an excuse to get away from everyone. That and he was the only thing I felt like I could talk to at the moment.
I set the fruits in front of him, and watched him take them in his mouth one by one and chew on them happily. I smiled and ruffled the fur on his head a bit, which made him shake his head, opening one large eye to stare right at me.
"I don't know what to do, Appa…" I started softly, once again letting my hand run through his soft white fur. He remained quiet, as if all he wanted to do right now was listen to whatever I had to say. I was immediately thankful, and decided to continue.
"Why is this bothering me so much? What is it about all of this that throws me off?"
Appa growled softly, as if answering me. I just laughed a bit and let the conversation continue. "No, no… I don't think that's it. I know I've thought about Aang and I as…" I paused suddenly, trying to find the right word. So many came, but none of them wanted to escape, to let themselves be heard. After a few moments of this odd silence, I just let myself go on. "But… I've never thought about it to this extent…"
He nodded slightly, emitting another growl from deep in his throat. "Yeah, like I said, I've thought about it… but the idea is just silly." Instead of growling or nodding, he just blinked a few times, as if he didn't know how to react to that.
I backed away from him and then started pacing in front of him. He lifted his head slightly, and let his eyes follow me wherever I went. I paced for a few good minutes, letting my thoughts clear out. Then I stopped right in front of him, looking at him, frowning.
"And then there's Toph and Sokka." I began, my arms crossed, tapping my foot against the ground. "They keep trying to get me to talk about it. Don't they realize how hard this is for me?"
Once again, a loud rumble was heard from the large flying beast, and I nodded in reply. "You're right. They're worried and they care, but they just pushed it a bit far. Did they expect me to react right away?" He tilted his head just slightly, as if he was indicating a shrug. "Well, yeah… Sokka did pull me away right before I got a chance, but I doubt I would have reacted anyways. My thoughts are still jumbled." I sighed sharply, shaking my head, and Appa gave another one of his understanding grumbles. "Exactly, they can't expect me to…It was only a matter of hours ago that Aang said he-"
I cut myself off, and Appa blinked, growling. I began pacing once again, and his eyes started following me. A blush started to rise on my cheeks and I stopped suddenly. "He told me he… loved me." I smiled, looking down at the ground.
Quickly shaking my head, I turned back to Appa "But it was so sudden, like it came out of nowhere!"
Appa opened his mouth and let out a loud growl, which made me jump back. He continued to stare at me, as if he was glaring.
I let everything sink in, letting my gaze drift to the ground once again. I looked back at all of those moments that Aang and I spent together, simply acting like best friends, and it made me smile a little. Then I remembered all of the times that Aang did not act like himself around me, when he would blush, or when he tried to tell me something and was stopped for some reason.
I lifted my hand to my forehead and closed my eyes hard, grumbling to myself. How could I have been so oblivious to this for so long?
"It wasn't out of nowhere, was it?" I asked in an undertone, and he growled positively, lightly, in just a purr.
I began approaching Appa once again. "But even if it wasn't sudden, why right then?" I asked sadly, messing with his fur once again. "Just the timing he had…" Shaking my head, I sighed. "The way he said it, it was like a goodbye… like in case one of us didn't survive the fight…"
There was no response to this, but I didn't really mind. I snuggled up closer to the large beast, loving the feeling of his soft fur. It was calming, talking to Appa. It was better than talking with someone who could really answer back, which would make my thoughts more confusing than they already were, and have me go through the process all over again. Although Appa could in fact answer, I took everything he told me my own way, which let all the thoughts come and sort themselves out. I laughed, scratching him on the top of his head, grinning when he purred at the sensation.
Backing away from him, I brought myself to my knees and sat in front of him, my hand lightly resting on his nose. I smiled at him, and whispered softly "So you really think he meant it?"
As a bit of a surprise to me, he nodded just a little bit, as if he truly understood every word I said. I grinned, nodding back "That's good to know. Thank you so much."
I got up, stretching a bit. I walked over to his collection of fruit and rolled a few more over to him. I laughed lightly as he Airbended a few of them towards him and bit down on them harshly. Rolling my eyes, I started walking back in the direction I came.
But the moment I got a good distance away, he growled at me lightly once again. I turned and looked at him, my head tilted slightly to the side.
I sighed softly, grinning, and I felt blood rush to my cheeks. "Yeah, I think I do." After a soft grumble in agreement from him, I turned and continued on my way, my cheeks still warm.