The Night Before The Night

The Next Day...

Aang walked downstairs, eager to know where his fiance was. He had awaken to see Katara wasn't lying next to him, and considering his life, he had hoped she had just woken up before him. He had quickly gotten dressed, he hadn't shaved his head though, like he normally did in the morning. Katara had been acting weird after yesterday's training with Nianzu. He reached the bottom of the stairs to see Sokka leaning against the wall, arms crossed with a large smile on his face. Aang couldn't help but eye contact with the warrior, wondering what the warrior was so happy about. Aang walked over to the warrior, looking him dead in the eye.

"Hey...Sokka. What are you so happy about?" Aang asked, with a hint of worry in his voice.

The warrior's smile slightly faded as he put an arm around the younger man, "Aang my long time friend, it's time for you to see the best part about getting married."

The airbender raised an eyebrow, "And that is what exactly?"

The warrior's eyes became mellow, "You'll see tonight. First we gotta go get your suit." the man said, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice.

"I was just gonna wear my Air Nomad robes."

The warrior walked in front of the boy, gripping the airbender's shoulders, "Do you hate Katara?" he asked the bender.

"No, of course not! Why would you ask that?" he quickly responded.

"Okay then, let's go." the warrior said, escorting the man outside.

"Wait, where's Katara" Aang asked his friend.

Sokka sighed dramatically, "You are such a worry-wart, you know that?"

"Hey, I just worry alright. It's not a pleasant feeling when I don't know where she is, considering my life." Aang explained as they continued walking.

Sokka scoffed, "She with Suki, Toph, and Mai. Now hurry up, we gotta meet Zuko at the Inn." the warrior said in an annoyed tone

Aang held up his arms, "Okay, okay. Spirits did you wake on the wrong side of the bed...oh wait, you always do." the bender smirked.

Sokka growled silently, "Just come on." he said as he closed the door behind them.

Suki, Mai, Toph, and Katara were walking through a clothing market, looking for the perfect dress for the waterbender's wedding. They had gotten Katara up an hour before her fiancee, so the two wouldn't see eachother until the next day. Katara was unable to keep Aang off her mind, ever since Nianzu had looked at her with his dark expression.

"Don't worry, he's with Sokka and Zuko." the former Kyoshi warrior explained

Katara sighed, "I know...I just have a weird feeling. Ever since Nianzu..." At that moment Toph gave her a quick jab in the arm.

"Stop worrying sweetness, Nianzu isn't gonna hurt Aang. I'm sure it was just a look of determination."

Katara rubbed her arm slightly and sighed, "I guess you're right. I'm just worried because...well he looked right at me." she explained.

"Katara, I know what he's like. He's just determined, I can tell. In fact, it's one of the only abilities I have now, ever since" Mai paused, putting a hand on her wound, where Azula had disabled her from fighting four years ago.

Katara sighed, "Alright, let's just finish shopping." she said, growing a small smile.

"That's a spirit!" Suki exclaimed before noticing a snow white dress, "What about this one?"

Katara examined the dress, running her hand through it to determine how it suited her. She shook her head, "No...it's nice, but I don't have a liking for it.

Toph scoffed, "Seriously, does it really take you this long to pick out a dress?" she exclaimed.

"It's different for you Toph, you don't have to worry what you look like." Katara explained, but immediately wish she hadn't.

"That's just the way I am...I told you that while we were in Ba Sing Se." Toph explained bitterly.

"Right...sorry, Toph...I'm just nervous." The waterbender explained.

"It's okay, you won't be nervous tonight." the earthbender told her long time friend.

Katara raised an eyebrow, "What are we doing tonight anyway?"

Mai smiled slightly, "You'll see...trust me, you'll love it."

Katara couldn't forgot the smile on Mai's face, it was very rare to see Mai smile that wide. Still, she would never forget the dark look on Nianzu's face, and she was becoming worried. Hoping to see Aang as soon as possible so she could confront him about Nianzu.

Aang and Sokka walked into the large Inn, and walked towards the front desk to greet a young woman.

"Hi, is Fire Lord Zuko here?" Sokka asked the woman.

"Yes, he is on the top floor, room A1." the woman responded.

Sokka thanked the woman and continued escorting the young avatar. They walked up 3 flights of stairs before making it to the top floor, where Zuko awaited them outside his room. They greeted eachother and Zuko and Sokka whispered to eachother before they continued walking. Aang tried to piece together what the two were planning, but continued to go along with it.

"So Aang, ready for you're last day as a single man?" Zuko asked.

"I haven't been single for 7 years..." the younger man explained.

"You know what he meant." Sokka told him. They continued walking until they got to the market, where they began looking for a robe for Aang's wedding. Unknown to them, a young boy watched as they roamed the streets the the frozen city. He smiled slightly under his dark cloak, and continued walking. Aang, Sokka, and Zuko made it to the market, where they began looking at robes. Aang tried to find some that weren't made from animal skins so he wouldn't be going against his nature.

"Aang, I doubt Katara is taking this long." Sokka complained as the airbender looked through the many robes.

Aang rolled his eyes, "Something tells me she is." he replied

Zuko smiled slightly, then a woman caught his eye. He immediately recognized her, it was Katara. Aang wasn't allowed to see Katara till the next day, and Zuko wasn't going to let him see her now.

Zuko quickly reacted, "Hey Aang, I think I see some nice robes over here." he said as he pulled the boy in the opposite direction. Aang didn't resist Zuko's grasp, as they found themselves in an alley filled with expensive flowing robes. Aang continued the browse the robes as Katara passed them, not even noticing her fiance.

Hakoda, Kanna, Pakku, and many of the Water Tribe Men were in the ball room, decorating and preparing for the wedding. Hakoda had been working since 6 AM that morning, and was growing tired. Pakku was waterbending ice sculptures to make symbols such as the Air Nomad Insignia and the Water Tribe Insignia. Kanna was the chef in charge of all the food that was being prepared, which was all strictly vegetarian, the only thing made from animals was the egg custard tarts. Hakoda had been setting up the chairs, tables, other decorations, and the rest of the wedding such as the preacher and other wedding assets.

"Bato, go down to the Market and pick up some fruits for Gran Gran." Hakoda ordered. Bato nodded and walked out of the large building, headed for the Market. As Always, Hakoda would make sure everything was going smoothly and would help the other men every now and then.

"Hakoda, can we please go have a tea break? We've been working non-stop for 4 hours now." One of the men asked respectively. Hakoda allowed them a break, but told them to be back as soon as possible. He had become very strict, considering he had a whole wedding to prepare for.

Hakoda walked up to the seconds floor to see how Pakku was doing with the Ice Sculptures, "How are the Sculptures coming, Pakku?"

Pakku had an irritable look on his face, "Great, but it would be nice if I Had Help you know!" he said, slightly raising his voice. Hakoda agreed and motioned for some Waterbenders to come up and help the old Master. Hakoda continued down the hall and noticed the exquisite detail in the sculptures.

"These are very detailed Pakku. I thought you were a Master, not an Artist." Hakoda complimented.

"What, you thought I had someone else carve Kanna's Betrothal Necklace? Just cause I'm a Master, doesn't mean I don't have an Artistic side." He explained, actually sounding joyful, unlike normal.

Hakoda chuckled silently, "Yea, I guess you're right." With that, he walked back downstairs towards the kitchen to check on Kanna and the rest of the chefs. Kanna was preparing an Air Nomad favorite, Fruit Pies. The only difficulty she had with the dish, was the swirled fruit jell in the middle. She knew the Airbenders had made perfect swirls using airbending, so she had to think of a more...creative way. So she used one of the potter wheels used to make pottery, and used their fingers to create perfect swirling patterns.

"How is the food going Gran Gran?" Hakoda asked as he watched her create the swirls on a Fruit Pie.

"Good, all the Fruit Pies should be done in a matter of minutes. Then we will get on the the Wedding Cake." she explained to her son-in-law. Hakoda nodded and offered to help, which was respectively turned down. Hakoda continued helping arrange all the Invitations, and considering this was the Avatar and the Chief's Daughter's Wedding, only Family, Friends, and other Important Personnel were invited.

6 Hours Later...

"Why are we heading to Zuko's Air Ship?" Aang asked as his friends walked with him to the Fire Lord's Ship.

"To get some things alright." Sokka told him.

"And why are we going back towards the house? Is Katara gonna be waiting there?" He asked, eager to know the answer.

"You'll find out when we get there. I swear I can't believe you don't know what's going on." Sokka told the younger man.

"Yea, I thought he'd know, considering he was there the night before my wedding." Zuko stated as he walked along side Sokka.

Aang looked back and forth at the two men, completely unaware of what was going on. They reached Zuko's Airship in a matter of minutes. Zuko told them to wait outside as he boarded the large ship. Aang and Sokka waited impatiently outside in the cold weather. Aang made a small fire in his hands to keep them warm. Zuko finally came back outside, pulling a small cart, followed by one of Zuko's Servants. They walked back towards to house. Eager to see his fiancee, Aang was first to open the door, disappointed not to find Katara waiting for him, but instead Iroh. Zuko pulling the cart into the living room, motioning Aang to sit down. Zuko and Sokka exchanged smiles as they poured a liquid into a small glass.

Sokka handed Aang the glass, "Drink this." he told him. Aang looked at the liquid suspiciously, and took a small sip. He twisted a little to the reaction of the liquid, feeling a little buzzed.

"What in spirit's name is that?" He asked.

Sokka smiled, "Remember when we were stranded in the Si Wong desert?" he asked, receiving of nod from the Avatar.

"Well, I had a little something imported from there." Sokka explained.

"It's cactus juice, the stuff that made Sokka go all...weird." Zuko explained as he quickly drank a whole glass of the juice.

"Ha ha, yeah." Sokka added as he took a big gulp of the juice. The Servant then handed Aang another drink. He held the cup in his hand, deciding whether or not to drink it.

"I don't know Sokka, I may have been in a bad mood during that, but I was worried what in spirit's name was going on in your head." Aang explained, casting a unsure look at the warrior.

"Come on, Aang. Don't be such a wimp." Sokka said, urging him to drink it.

Aang shrugged and quickly drank the cactus juice, becoming more buzzed his sight became slightly blurry. "Give me another." he told them.

"That's more like it!" Zuko said, motioning the servant to fix them all another drink.

"Just make sure you all don't get too drunk." Iroh told them.

"Shut up Uncle." Zuko said with a smile on his face as he drank another glass. Iroh sighed and drank another glass.

"Aang, this is your last night of freedom." Sokka told the younger boy, "ENJOY IT!" he shouted.

Meanwhile...

"Come on sweetness, we're almost there." Toph told the waterbender as they made their way through the halls of the large airship. Mai's servant carried a cart behind them, filled with cactus juice, unknown to Katara. They made their way to the Royal Suite, as they all sat on the couch, the servant gave them all a glass. Katara looked at the liquid suspiciously, and took a small sip. The drink gave her a small buzz as she looked at her friends who had just drank a whole glass.

"What is this stuff?" She asked Mai who she assumed was the one who arranged for the drinks.

"You wanna answer that one Toph?" Mai asked the blind girl, who smiled.

"Remember that cactus juice Sokka drank when we were trapped in the Si Wong Dessert?" The blind girl asked.

Katara nodded and immediately understood, "I'm not drinking anymore of that stuff." She told them as she put the glass down on a table next to her.

"Come on, Katara. Would you drink it if Aang did?" Suki asked.

Katara shrugged, "I don't know. I doubt he would drink it in the first place." She stated.

Toph chuckled silently, "Trust me Sugar Queen when I say Aang is drinking this same stuff as we speak."

Katara raised an eyebrow, "Aang would never. He doesn't drink. The closest thing he has had to something like this was that strong cup of tea Iroh made when we got together."

Mai smiled, "Katara...he is drinking this same thing. Sokka, Zuko, and Iroh probably already got him to drink five glasses by now." she explained.

Katara looked over to the glass once more. After a while she picked up the drink and quickly drank it.

"Damn, that's..." she sighed, "that's pretty good. Get me another glass." she told the Servant.

"One more, okay Sokka." Aang said as he sloped on the couch, just now finishing his fifth drink.

Iroh laughed, "What, can't hold your cactus?" The others burst out laughing, and Sokka fell face down onto the couch.

He turned over, "Come on Aang, live a little!" He shouted. Aang drank too more glasses when a knock came to the door. The Servant answered the door to have Hakoda walk in.

"Hey dad!" Sokka exclaimed as he sat up on the couch.

Hakoda looked at his son suspiciously, "Alright, how many have you had?" he asked.

"I don't know...ten maybe." he answered, before he began laughing.

"Boy you don't know how to drink then." he exclaimed before picking up a glass and drinking it without taking a breath.

Hakoda put the glass down, "And that's how you do it." he exclaimed before he stuttered his way to the couch.

"I wonder what Katara's doing." Aang thought out loud, before drinking another shot.

"DRINKING! AH HA HA HA!" Zuko shouted.

Aang motioned the servant for another, and used waterbending to make it flow down his throat, "Doubt you can do that Sokka." Aang challenged.

Sokka scoffed, "I can do better." Sokka held his head up high, as he let the juice fall down into his mouth. "And, that's how you do it."

Zuko burped loudly, "Try this then." He challenged, putting two glasses up to his mouth, drinking them at the same time as juice fell out of the glasses.

"You guys are amateurs!" Iroh exclaimed, drinking three glasses, one after another without taking a breath.

"Come on Katara, you can drink more than 7 can't you?" Suki exclaimed.

"Shut up..." She replied before drinking another glass.

"Okay everyone, I want to propose a toast." Mai shouted.

"Katara, even though we were enemies at one point, I knew someday we could be great friends, which is why I want to congratulate you on getting married. Aang is a man who loves you more than anyone could ever. And, we all know you're gonna have a happy life with him. Avatar or no Avatar, Aang would have somehow got in that Iceberg and meet you. Congratulations!"

After they all drank their glass a knock came to the door, "I'll get it." Mai said. She opened the door to greet Ty Lee. They all exchanged hugs with her as she picked up a glass.

"It's nice you see you all again. Congratulations Katara." She said, drinking a glass.

Katara thanked them all and drank another glass. Both Aang and Katara and their friends partied and drank till midnight, when everyone passed out. Iroh and Hakoda had to help the boys to their rooms, trying to keep balance as the two drunks made their way up the stairs. A few minutes later, Mai's servant came to the door, carrying Katara. Along with 3 other servants carrying the other girls. They put them all in their beds, Katara with Aang, Mai with Zuko, Suki with Sokka, and Toph and Ty Lee alone in separate rooms.

Everyone's Head was Pounding As they Went on to Bed

Aang and Katara were without eachother for a

Whole Day, and They would never Forget

This night for as long as they lived,

"I Shall Never Drink AGAIN!"

Okay, this chapter was hard to write, considering I have never drank. Ha ha, well still hard chapter mainly cause of my vacation time. Please Read and Review...if you have any bad comments about the Drinking Scenes, just message me them instead of showing it in the reviews would you kindly?