12- The Lover's Night

The reception was coming to an end, and Suki couldn't be happier. It had been a long day; memorable but exhausting. She felt her mind was going to explode from all the preparation and nerves. She had risen early this morning, and unfortunately, woken Katara to soothe her frazzled mind. She made a mental note to thank her for all her support.

But now, everything was over, and Suki latched hands with her new husband as the two of them waved, hugged, and kissed their many guests. By the time they made their way outside into the quiet, Suki heaved a large sigh of relief.

Sokka chuckled at his wife. "You okay?"

She smiled up at him. "Fine, just glad it's over. There were a lot of people there!"

Sokka shrugged. "Well what can I say? I'm popular."

Suki rolled her eyes, but laced her fingers with his. It was a little chilly out, but she couldn't have felt warmer. So many years, and now it was official. She never could have guessed that she would end up marrying the boy she beat up so many years ago.

"Was it everything you wanted?" Sokka asked softly.

"More," she replied simply, matching her eyes with his. She had expected something to go wrong. From what she had heard, that usually happened. But everything had been perfect, almost as she had dreamed.

Her smile faded when she saw Sokka's expression. "Are you okay?"

Sokka cleared his throat, trying not to show his nerves. "I'm just fine."

Suki knew what was coming for tonight, but oddly the nerves she had felt earlier had evaporated. Every worry she had seemed to melt away the moment they kissed underneath the altar. She loved Sokka and she knew it would be a night they would never forget. But she noticed Sokka was doing a poor job of hiding his nerves.

"I hope you like the room," he said as they approached it. He had taken the liberty of decorating it himself, and when he opened the door, he was greeted with a pleasant surprise. Suki gasped in amazement at the setting. Candles covered every countertop, giving the room a pleasant aroma, the floor was sprinkled with various flower petals, and the bed was neatly made, covered in comfortable sheets made from the animal furs from his tribe.

Eyeing Suki, Sokka said, "These are my tribe's finest furs, very comfortable. Do you like it?"

Sokka, it's beautiful," she said, wandering over to the bed and sitting down. "Mm these are comfortable."

Her fingers ran over the furs delicately. Sokka joined her on the bed, his nerves still present, but being replaced by excitement. There was only them now, just the two of them. He inched closer to her and touched her cheek, softly, admiring her beauty.

"Suki…you look so amazing," he murmured, voicing his thoughts. She smiled and met her lips to his in a soft, hesitant kiss. All of his nerves melted away at her kiss, at her touch. Unable to help himself, he deepened the kiss. She responded as much; their mouths seemed to blend together in perfect harmony.

They moved closer to one another, grabbing the other with more intensity. Suki almost moaned into his mouth when his hands grabbed around her waist. Sokka's clothes suddenly felt hot, almost constricting. He tugged at them. Mouths still moving, Suki sensed what he was trying to do, and helped along. Together they removed every article of clothing each had on, revealing the skin on skin contact the two desperately desired.

Neither felt nerves, only the bliss of one another as they laid back onto the bed. After waiting for so long, Sokka couldn't believe this was finally happening. He didn't want to rush it, but he just wanted her. He knew there would be years to appreciate her fully, but now, there was only this moment, only this first time with her.

He stopped abruptly, pulling away from Suki just to admire her. After five years she still had a fantastic figure that had only accentuated with age. His hands explored her full round breasts, his eyes moved down to the lovely mound waiting for him. She smiled sweetly, almost embarrassed. But she had no reason to be. She was beautiful and he was the luckiest man in the world. He kissed her again, roughly, hungrily, and his fingers moved down her body, making her moan with excitement.

Everything seemed to be happening to fast. Suki didn't want it to stop, but she didn't want him to slow down either. His fingers felt like magic to her, but she wanted more of him. She had wanted him for months now, and they had done nothing to give in, waiting for the wedding night. Now this was it, it was finally time for their release. She grabbed at him, urging him forward, into her.

"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked, breathless, concerned about how fast they were moving.

She nodded, more than ready. She knew what to expect, and she didn't want this to happen with any other person.

He entered, slowly, hesitantly, watching her all the while. He stopped when he saw her scrunch up her face in pain, but she shook her head, urging him to continue. Yes, it hurt, but the pleasure she was seeking, would be worth the pain, she knew it. He went deeper in, waiting every so often for her to adjust, he was fully in.

They fit perfectly together, as if their bodies were made for one another. Their bodies seemed to have become one, there was no him without her, no her without him. The pleasure was unbelievable, he was just enough for her.

They found a good rhythm with one another and Suki couldn't help herself, she screamed in pleasure. He moaned as well, at her sound, moving faster, feeling the build of pressure. Their screams echoed into the night, enjoying one another, enjoying the endless time they had together.

Katara didn't want to leave Zuko, but suspicion was eating away at her. She moved quickly following Aang, her mind filled with thoughts. Why was Aang receiving a message now, and what was it? Surely it couldn't be another mission. The world couldn't have been that unbalanced.

She had wanted to talk to him all week since his arrival. Over the past few days, Aang had been more distant than ever. She tried her best, tried to steer the conversation into their problems somehow. But to no avail. Every time she asked about his missions, or just in general how he was, he gave vague or short answers. When she tried to go deeper, someone needed help with the wedding, or Suki needed comfort. It was aggravating. But now the weeding was over, nobody needed her, and now seemed like the perfect time to get things out into the open.

All she wanted was a reconciliation of some sort, for things to go back to how they were. But she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, one that only intensified when she stepped into the room they were supposed to be sharing. The room in which she felt like she had been sleeping alone. It was dimly lit when she entered, but she could still see Aang clearly, packing the small bag he had brought with his possessions. Her brows furrowed with anger at the sight.

"Going somewhere?" she questioned, her tone sharp.

"Yeah," Aang said without turning around. "I have another mission."

"You're kidding," Katara muttered under her breath, somehow surprised that her suspicion had been correct. The wedding was barely over and already he was leaving. She couldn't believe it.

"What?" Aang asked, finally facing her. She stared up at him, amazed at his transformation. What happened to the kind boy she once knew? The man she had come to love so deeply?

"You weren't going to tell me you were leaving?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"I asked Sokka to inform you of my departure," he said swiftly, as if the lie came easily to him. His face was almost believable. But she knew it wasn't true, she saw him receive and read the message. He didn't speak once to Sokka.

"Why are you lying to me?" she asked softly.

Aang frowned, opening his mouth to speak but he wasn't given the chance.

"Why are you distancing yourself from me?" she asked louder, the anger in her growing.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

"You're always leaving for missions. You never take me with you or even tell me where you're going. You never talk to me, we don't have deep conversations or even laugh like we used to…" the words came spilling out before she could stop them. "You're different. We're different…fading."

"Everything is fine, Katara, I've just been busy that's all," he said nonchalantly.

"And I can help you," Katara insisted.

"No," Aang said firmly, turning back around. Despite his movement with his things, there was a thick silence in the room, almost suffocating to Katara. So she spoke.

"Do you still love me?"

Aang stopped his movement at her question. It seemed like hours before he turned around to face her. He said nothing, but his eyes held the slightest hint of sadness. She had her answer. She felt her stomach drop, her throat close up.

"You don't," she whispered, finding it difficult to use her voice.

"Katara…" he began.

"You don't love me anymore," she repeated. "You don't want to get married." The words coming out more like a statement than a question.

Aang turned his back on her and grabbed his bag roughly, the action startling her. For the first time that night, he frowned deeply at her.

"Maybe I don't!" Aang snapped. "You're always bringing this up, Katara. We're so young, I'm only 18!"

He moved past her, out into the night, leaving Katara staring after him in shock.

Coming back to her senses, she followed him outside. He wasn't very far ahead of her.

"Aang, what are you saying? We've been dating for years, don't you think…"

"Well maybe that's enough," Aang said over his shoulder, cutting her off.

Katara halted. "…What?"

Aang stopped as well. He sighed heavily, and turned around. Slowly, he made his way back to her and faced Katara's gaze, her cheeks reddened with a mixture of hurt and anger.

"Look, Katara," he began. "I will always love you, it runs deep within me…but lately I've been feeling that this is...just not going to work. I have a lot of responsibility, and it is too dangerous for you to be connected with me."

"Aang you're not making any sense," Katara said calmly, though on the inside, she felt like she was going to crumble. "We have protected each other since we were kids. I am a powerful waterbender; there aren't too many things I can't handle."

"I know, I just…I don't want you getting caught up in things you shouldn't. This is my job, not yours." His grey eyes were clear, displaying not a hint of regret, as if this was something he had been planning for a while. "I had been trying to find the right time to tell you," he said, confirming her thoughts. How long had he been out of love with her?

Katara felt like her head was spinning. She had no idea what to say, what to feel. She felt as if her plan had backfired. She wanted reconciliation, not a break up. She watched him walk over to Appa and jump on. She could almost see the boy she had met six years ago. But now that boy was a man, a man who had broken her heart.

He gave her one last glance as he seated himself and his things on Appa's saddle.

"Bye Katara."

"Bye Aang," she whispered.

But she didn't think he heard. He was already in the sky, soaring away to a destination unknown.