10-The Wedding's Preparation

"Katara…stay with me."

His hair dangled in front of his face, almost covering his scar that had roughened over time. But the rest of him, his hands, his eyes, were all softness as he said those words. He gazed at her, longingly, and his hands sneaked around grabbing her waist, moving her closer to him. He kissed her neck, Katara closed her eyes at the contact, then his lips moved lower…past her neck, past her breasts, lower…she gasped.

Katara knew she was dreaming. Not only did she know that she was still with Aang, but also because she had had this dream before. And when she woke, she was not surprised that it was a dream. She was not surprised that she felt those same feelings of frustration that the dream never continued past that point, never giving her the pleasure that she seeked. What did surprise her was the fact it was Zuko she had been dreaming about. What did it mean? Was she harboring feelings for Zuko? The heart can be such a complicated thing.

She sat up, almost squinting at the daylight through the open window. She moved towards it, sneaking a glance outside. The Kyoshi Island was already buzzing with movement despite the early hours, and Katara knew why. The famous Suki/Sokka wedding was only weeks away and there were still much preparation to do. Katara dressed quickly, and left the room, hoping for a something to do that would take her mind off of…other things.

She found Suki in a nearby room, and gasped at the sight of her.

"Oh, Suki, you look beautiful!" she exclaimed, walking across the room towards her friend. Suki grinned and glanced down at herself, at her gorgeous white gown that at that moment another Kyoshi warrior was pinning.

"Thanks," she responded, smile still plastered on her face.

"That dress is simply beautiful, do you need any more help with it?"

"Sure, can you pin the back?"

"Of course," Katara grabbed some nearby pins, located another stool in the corner and seated herself at the back of the dress, getting to work. It was nice to keep her hands busy. Suki continued to talk as she worked.

"It was my mother's, she wanted me to have it, and it's beautiful. Only thing is, it needs a lot of pinning, me and my mother didn't exactly have the same shape," Suki giggled.

"Yeah well, when we are done with you, you will look magnificent," Katara said with a smile, sticking another pin in the dress. "Did Sokka have any objections to having the wedding here?"

"Not at all, he said I could do whatever I wanted," Suki said, the smile creeping back up on her face. "He's so sweet, I can't wait until he gets back from that mission with Hakoda."

There was a moment of silence, as the women worked, then Suki spoke, almost hesitantly.

"Have you heard from Aang?"

The question sent an ache down into Katara's stomach. She hadn't seen Aang since that night at Zuko's palace, which had been weeks ago. She had heard from him, but only once, through a short, vague letter about his mission. He was hurting her, emotionally, which resulted in physical pain, and Katara found she had to take a deep breath to calm herself before responding.

"Not really," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "I got a letter from him a couple weeks ago, but it didn't say much. I don't know when he's coming back."

Even though her back was turned, Katara could still feel Suki's sympathy radiating off of her. She knew. Even throughout her wedding bliss, she knew something was wrong with her future sister-in-law.

"What's going on with you and Aang?" she asked, so abruptly that Katara looked up in surprise. There were many things wrong, but all of which she could not describe so easily. Why was it easier to talk to Zuko than to her? She inwardly questioned herself.

"Nothing," she lied, pinning the last portion of the dress. "All done."

The other woman had left then, leaving the two friends alone in the room. When Katara stood, Suki turned to face her, eyes wide with concern.

"You can confide in me," she said earnestly, placing a hand on Katara's shoulder.

"I know," she responded, gently shrugging away from Suki's grasp. "Things are a little complicated right now, but don't worry, everything will be fine."

Katara knew she could confide in Suki, after all she was one of her best friends. But somehow, sympathy was the last thing she wanted. Katara glanced at Suki then, at her unconvinced expression. She did not believe the vague statement that she was given, nor the fake smile that Katara was giving her now. She stared at Katara, as if silently saying 'talk to me.' But Katara did nothing. She turned away, and hovered near the door.

"Is there anything else that needs to be done?"

"Katara…" her sentence was halted by the door opening then, forcing Katara to move away from it. Oyaji hovered near the doorway, a large smile on his face.

"Sorry girls, but I just thought you ought to know that the men have returned," he said happily.

"But they're not supposed to come back for two more days!" Suki said, as if instantly forgetting her earlier conversation with Katara. She changed quickly, and the two women followed him out of the room and to the outskirts of the island.

Katara gasped at the amount of water tribe boats floating near the shores, almost three times as many as when Sokka had left. Dozens of people emerged from those boats, many recognizable to Katara. These were the men from her father's tribe who had helped them during the war. No doubt they had showed up to witness of wedding of their leader's only son.

Amongst the crowd, Katara spotted her brother, who instantly hopped out of the boat at the sight of Suki. Katara smiled at their embrace, and turned her attention back to the crowd, trying to find her father. A moment later, her eyes landed on not only him, but on the woman who was accompanying him.

"Gran-Gran!" she exclaimed, approaching her and giving her a warm hug. The old woman's embrace was enough to ease her restless mind. She couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"I'm so glad you made it!"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss my only grandson's wedding."

"Is Pakku coming too?" Katara questioned, finally releasing her grandmother.

"Yes but a little later, he had something to take care of in our sister tribe."

Katara nodded in understanding, and then turned to her father, whom she just realized she had been ignoring. "It's good to see you dad."

"You too," Hakoda agreed, hugging his daughter tightly. "Now, why don't we get your grandmother inside, she had quite a long journey."

Katara agreed, following her father and grandmother to one of the huts. She felt a sense of peace, now that her family had returned to her. It almost made her forget about Aang. Almost.

One more week until the wedding; things were getting hectic. More and more people were arriving, many of which Katara had never seen. She had not realized that Suki, nor her brother had been so popular. They had to arrange for more food to be prepared, more decorations to be made. Suki was close to a breakdown by sunset every day. Katara did her best at comfort, but it was always Sokka that could pull her through.

Katara called him instantly on one particular evening, and when he arrived, left the couple alone. Not that she didn't want to be around her worried friend, she was just exhausted; physically and emotionally. Still no word from Aang. Trying to keep her mind off it, she returned to her room and flopped onto the bed. Even though it was a temporary stay, the people of Kyoshi Island had made sure she was comfortable. And so far, she wasn't complaining.

She closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to overtake her, when a crash startled her. She sat up at once to find the source of the noise, only to discover that her bowl had fallen over, onto her things. It was a bowl that she usually kept filled with water, but she was grateful she had forgotten to fill it now. It had toppled over onto her things, spilling the contents from her bag all over the floor.

She rushed over to clean up the mess, grabbing piece by piece and stowing them where they belonged. When her hands fell upon a piece of paper, she halted, already knowing what it was. It was the letter from Aang, the simple letter that filled her with worry, pain. She unrolled it, wondering why she was torturing herself by reading it again. His words sprung off the page, she could almost hear his voice as she was reading it.

Katara,

The mission is going well, I have taken down the bandits causing the disruption and now we are rebuilding what has been destroyed. I don't know when I will return, but we should be finished soon. Missing you.

Aang

It held nothing, not like his previous letters had. So vague, and meaningless, Katara wondered why he had written anything down at all. She felt no love coming from him anymore, and it was tearing her apart. She threw the letter aside, and continued the clean up, her hands falling on a different item this time. She unwrapped it carefully, her smile returning. The way the colors flow together, the way he captured the water bender's form. Zuko's painting was simply stunning, and Katara felt herself struck with awe, every time she laid eyes on it. She stroked it with one finger, almost imagining to herself how Zuko looked as he was painting it. At the thought her smile widened.

"Glad to see that you like it," said a voice from behind her. Katara turned instantly; she didn't even hear the door open, then widened her eyes in surprise.

"Zuko!" she rose at once, and greeted him with a hug. At first it was friendly, similar to hugs she had given him for years, but something felt different this time. His touch was soft, like her dreams, she found herself comfortable within his arms. This sudden feeling overwhelmed her, confused her, she released him at once. "It's good to see you," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"You as well," he responded. "Sorry if I startled you, the door was cracked."

"Oh, I don't mind, come on in."

He complied, entering the room, and seating himself on Katara's barely touched bed. Katara placed the painting back within its wrapping and joined Zuko on the bed.

"So what have you been up to? How's the Fire Nation?" Katara questioned, feeling an excitement bubbling through her that she had not felt in a long while. Zuko smiled at her enthusiasm.

"I've been dealing with some things. The Nation is okay, but there is this odd sickness going around in the towns, no one can figure out what it is. Has there been anything like that here?"

Katara shook her head. "Not that I know of. But then, I only got here a few weeks ago. But everyone seems healthy."

Zuko nodded. "How's everything here? Suki excited for the wedding?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Well she's a little stressed, with the planning and set up, but she is really excited. I'm so happy for her."

Zuko stayed silent, examining her. His brows furrowed.

"What?" she questioned, frowning now herself.

"You don't seem happy." He said, the words coming out more as a statement, as if it were truth.

Katara opened her mouth to object, and then closed it. She was happy for Suki, but her depression was getting in the way. "Am I really that obvious?"

Zuko slowly nodded. "Your eyes, they're not as bright. Not as full of life as they once were."

Katara cocked her head slightly to one side, taking in Zuko's words. Had he really noticed her eyes that much? It made her insides do flip-flops…

"No, I'm fine," she said, the words coming out slightly rushed.

Zuko decided not to question her further. He fell silent, averting his gaze to the sheets they were sitting on, to her hand that rested on them. Without thinking, he grabbed it gently, stroking her soft skin. Katara looked up at him at once, surprised by the contact. But she didn't pull away, she didn't want to. Instead she smiled, and laced her fingers around his.

She felt the calluses on his hands, from the years of training, but they did not bother her. She only wanted to hold him, to be held. He cared for her, she could sense it, it was deeper than she ever could have imagined. She found herself scooting closer to him, to his face, mesmerized by his golden eyes which stared so intently back at her.

Her mind wandered briefly to her dreams, but this was no dream. Whatever was happening, she wanted it to happen.

"Katara?"

Katara scooted back at once, startled by the sudden voice that broke the silence, and glanced to the doorway.

"Aang!"