A/N: I need to apologize to everyone who has read up to this point before this chapter was posted. I had originally finished the story while on vacation, and I actually lost my thumb drive. This caused me great distress, and because I was so bothered by my lost work, I fell into a slump. Here I am today, dedicated to finishing this story, because it is long overdue. Please enjoy.
Aang made his way to the South Pole before the storm got out of hand. "Appa, go to your igloo, I need to do this alone." Appa roared in protest, but Aang was was off his back, gliding slowly to the ice wall that he had secured and took a deep breath. He focused, feeling the water and snow, before mixing the ice and building a larger, second wall in front of it. Aang leapt, and glided a short way onto the other wall.
The wind was picking up already, he felt the wind push me, and knew his time was limited. He quickly built smaller walls, made them into cave like structures to prevent some of the water from getting through. The snow was getting harder now, but he was focused on the water, watching the waves grow. He started slowly at first, pushing the waves slowly, making a rhythm so he could feel the ocean. It was churning violently already, but it wasn't quite here yet. "Pass us by, please…" Aang whispered to the wind, shortly before the first violent wave crashed onto the icy shore.
Katara looked outside, the visibility almost completely gone. "Do you think… " Whatever Suki was going to say was cut off, the door slamming open. One of their fellow water tribe friends, was crying, and shivering violently. "My daughter… has anyone seen my daughter? " Terrified looks from amongst the group told them that no one had. "Ka…Katara, she went to see you… I think she might be at your training area." She rose immediately, and Hakoda rose quickly. "You can't go out there.
"I have to dad. This is on me, and I'm the only one who can make it through this." He frowned, but simply gave her a hug.
"Be safe Katara, come back safe."
Quickly Katara covered herself in heavy jackets before slipping outside, the door behind her slamming shut from the wind. She pulled the hood tight around her before heading out towards the training camp.
Had it not been the familiar path she knew, she was sure she would have gotten lost. It took her twice the time, but she also had built small ice totems to mark the path in case she got lost going home. The igloo was closed, and when she opened it, she found nothing. Her heart froze in her chest. "Where…" A familiar roar made her look immediately to the side. Sure enough, covered in hay, not far was Appa, with the little girl tucked tightly underneath.
She made her way through the snow quickly, building more totems.
"Appa… is Aang here?" She asked, and Appa gave a sad groan. "Appa, take her to my house, I built totems to mark the place. I need to go find Aang." He nuzzled her gently before taking the little girl in his arms and flying into the air, the wind bending around him.
"Aang, where are you?" She asked herself, struggling forward, building more totems, but fighting with even more vigor.
Aang was fighting the waves as they became more ferocious. The caves help stop some of the onslaught, but it wasn't long before he had to redirect them entirely. The waves were easily over his head, and took a fair amount of technique to direct them down and around the wall. He was getting wet also, but used his waterbending every time he moved to remove it. It was cold, he could feel it, but he had to focus. Katara and her family, almost all of his friends, relied on him beating this storm.
He felt the water rearing back once more and took this time to build more icebergs, and more caves to buffer the water. Aang was worried it wasn't going to help as much as he wanted it too, but he had to try. He took a deep breath and waited, using a breath of fire to warm himself up like Zuko had taught him. The wind increased suddenly, almost blinding him, but he felt the ocean, and when he opened his eyes, the wave that was coming towered over him, and Aang took his stance, ready to die trying fighting off waves like this one.
Katara struggled through the snow, visibility less than a foot ahead of her, she was getting frustrated before she finally stomped her foot and thrust her hands to her side yelling "Enough!" The snow froze in midair that was about to hit her, the oncoming blizzard bending around her. She had reached the wall, but saw nothing on it. Next thing she knew, a huge wave of water crashed into it. She gasped "Aang" She built a mountain of snow as she ran, terrified of what she would find. On the top of the wall was nothing, but the water had landed between this wall and a second one, where a figure stood alone, glowing for just a moment. Katara removed the water between the walls, throwing it into the snow behind her, before using the snow to propel herself onto the wall. She watched as Aang redirected a wave before he turned to her.
"Katara, get out of here! It's too dangerous!" He shouted at her, full of concern, looking back at the ocean.
"No Aang, I'm here to stay." She said, as a wave came in once more, taller than the wall itself. She redirected it, crashing away from the wall. She looked over at Aang.
"We will do this together." She said. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes unreadable.
"Okay, let's do this." They both turned back towards the ocean, where the waves were becoming even more reckless, yet she was confident that together they could beat the onslaught.
"She's been gone for too long." Hakoda said, his voice rising from the silence. The sun had risen, and the blizzard subsided, Katara hadn't returned, and everyone was worried. It had just stopped for the moment, and everyone was afraid it was the eye of the storm, no one else needed to get lost in the blizzard. Sokka rose from Suki's side. Thankfully the missing child had been returned, by Appa, to everyone's surprise, that meant Aang was here and had comforted everyone, however the fact that neither of them, or even Appa had come back, worried them all.
"We have to be sure the storm is over, otherwise someone else could be lost in the storm. Katara is one of the best waterbenders in the world, and well, Aang is the avatar, I am sure we don't have to worry about him. Together they are fine I'm sure, they probably just waited out the storm, that is all." Sokka looked out the window, away from the group, seeing the rows of ice totems his sister had built, some having been knocked over. A pit in his stomach made him less confident then he tried to sound. They should have been back by now.
"We will go together then!" Hakoda responded. Sokka looked back at his father, and most of the people in the room cheered in response before rising. He was out voted. His father clapped him on the shoulder.
"We will go together, so no one will be lost." He said to him. Sokka took a deep breath. "Okay, dad, let's do this." With that everyone started packing up, getting there heavy coats on, and their weapons in case they needed to hack through ice. It took only a few minutes, but everyone was ready except the mother and her child. They all left single file, hoping to find them alive and well.
Katara and Aang were seated inside Appa's igloo, when the waves had settled down they had dropped all the icebergs and caves, and even the second wall, now they had been simply sitting together, waiting for the blizzard itself to pass. Aang didn't know what to say, part of him was so glad to see her, the other part still stung, unsure of what to do now. He could leave of course, and let them have their peace, but the look on Katara's face said he shouldn't. Without a word, Katara unbuttoned her heavy coat and pulled down her hood, since it had warmed up a lot already. Around her neck hung his proposal necklace, he didn't speak, unsure what it meant, and a fear building that she would take it off and hand it back to him.
"Yes" She said, touching the necklace. "Yes, I will marry you Aang." She said looking into his eyes smiling, tears welling in them "If you will still have me."
Aang rose with the speed of an airbender and hugged her. "Of course Katara, it's all I ever really wanted. He pulled away from her shoulder and they chuckled nervously for a moment before leaning in and meeting in a soft, but passionate kiss.
"Whoa… I think they are alive!" Sokka's voice rang out from outside the igloo, causing Aang and Katara to separate. Always good for ruining a moment her brother was.
"She said yes!" Aang said, spinning into the air happily before floating down onto his feet once more. Everyone started clapping and he walked over and offered his hand. She took it and rose from the ground.
"If it is alright with everyone, I need to show her something at the Air Temple." He grinned back at Katara, who looked surprised, and maybe a little nervous? Hakoda was the first to respond.
"Since we know you are alright, that sounds fine to me."
Aang grinned. "Thanks!" With Katara, he ran out of the igloo, finding Appa waiting. They both got into the saddle and he smiled. "Appa, yip yip!" With that they flew into the air towards the temple.
Katara sat behind Aang, with her arms around him, she was pretty sure she could feel him smiling. "What is this big surprise Aang? Can't you just tell me?" He chuckled.
"Trust me, it's worth waiting for." He said, as they approached the temple, she saw the carving of Gyatso in the mountainside once more, still shocked by its beauty. She let go of Aang and pushed herself back as they made a turn to enter the temple and a gasp escaped her. She covered her mouth and felt tears well in her eyes.
"What do you think?" Aang said quietly, making Appa turn so they could get closer to it.
She had no words; instead she just hugged his back, and took a deep breath. "I'm touched Aang, I… I can't believe you did that" In the side of the mountain, directly next to the temple, there was a carving of her, detail down to the shape of her eyes, to the way she did her hair every day. It was perfect detail, and larger than life. "Thank you Aang, I don't deserve this."
Appa landed at the temple and Aang turned to look at her. "You deserve the world Katara, and I plan on giving it to you, one day at a time." He smiled at her and they embraced once more, both of them happier than they had ever been before.