chapter 18....wonder what will happen.........oh and an old friend arrives.....
"Aang!" she called out to him, hoping he would hear. He stopped mid-swing and she could feel Zuko relax slightly on top of her. She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"Aang?" she asked him. He just stared blankly at her or Zuko rather, seeing how he was on top of her.
"Sorry Katara," he muttered. Slowly he rolled off of her, and she stood, facing the Avatar.
"Katara?" he reached out to her and she took his hand. The tears that were threatening to fall spilled over the bottoms of her eyelids. She blinked a few away. But let the rest fall to the metal floor.
"Aang calm down." She told him quietly. She glanced at Zuko, who was breathing hard lying on his back. She reached out to touch Aang's face, but he quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Katara, did you really chose him over me?" Katara could not find her voice and only nodded.
"Why, Katara? I'm the Avatar! I'm the powerful bender, remember Aunt Woo?" He yelled at her. She just stood there.
"I love you, Katara! I LOVE YOU! Doesn't that mean anything to you? Or do you want to stomp on my heart like you did to Haru? Or maybe even Jet?" He continued to scream at her, letting all the rage flow easily into his hurtful words, "well, since you're such a great person, you deserve a great bender, not the most powerful, but a GREAT ONE!"
The glow slowly disappeared from his eyes, and his feet touched the floor. Tears glistened in his eyes, "why Katara, why him?" He was no longer the Avatar, or the most powerful bender. He was just a young boy, sad and confused. Thrust into a world new to him, and now he let all the emotions out.
Katara pulled him into a hug, and rubbed his head like a mother would a child. She shushed him, cradling him on the floor. She rocked back and forth on the ground, Aang crying silently in her lap. His shoulders shook and Katara felt the tears moisten her clothing.
Katara cried too, not only for herself, but for Aang's broken heart, and Sokka. They sat there like that, for an hour, silently letting all their emotions pour out of their souls. Zuko had gotten up and stood at the doorway, watching and waiting.
Aang sniffled and sighed, "I'm sorry Katara."
"No Aang, I'm sorry. I didn't know your feelings were so strong for me. If I had, then I would have told you, more softly than Sokka had."
"He told me you two were eloping and that Zuko brainwashed you." Aang laughed at this, "I can't believe I believed him!"
"Well, Sokka does have an… imaginative mind. He comes up with the strangest things, especially when he's on Cactus Juice."
A giant mushroom cloud appears across the dessert where Katara, toph and Sokka are. Sokka had drunk some Cactus Juice and appears high.
"What is that?" Katara asks out loud.
"What? What is what?" Toph asked Katara; being blind she could not see with the fine grains of sand beneath her feet. Sokka looked over at the cloud.
"Giant Mushroom," Toph and Katara give Sokka strange looks, "maybe it's friendly!"
"Let's just keep moving," Katara turns her back to the mushroom, moving opposite of it, "I hope Aang's okay…"
Sokka begins to swing his arms from side to side above his head, "Friendly mushroom, mushy giant friend!"
Aang laughs quietly, "that was funny, especially when he thought it was a giant mushroom!"
"Snoozles on Cactus juice is not good!" a voice called from the doorway. Zuko steps aside to reveal Toph. She was taller and her hair has longer. She kept the hair band, but now her hair was in a pony-tail, instead on the bun.
"Toph!" Aang said, running over to her and enveloping her in a giant bear hug.
"Twinkle toes, it's good to see you too," she choked out from the hug, "now if you don't mind…I'd like to breath."
"Oh sorry," Aang said blushing and putting her down. Toph flipped her bangs in front of her face to hide the blush that was creeping on her face, but not fast enough for Katara not to notice.
The waterbender got up and walked over to the other three people, standing in front of Zuko. He slipped his arms around her and hugged her back to his chest, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"So what brings you here Toph?" Katara asked, placing her hands over Zuko's. She never stopped being surprised at how hot his skin was to the touch.
"Well, I heard about the wedding, and came as soon as I found out." She grinned at the young couple standing across from her. Katara blushed and Zuko smirked behind her.
"Katara…" Toph started.
"Yes Toph?"
"You better check on Sokka."
Katara felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. She lost her voice and stepped away from Zuko's arms. She bolted form the room, leaving 2 pairs of curious eyes after her.
Sokka stood at the bow of the ship, watching the sea ahead of him. The moon was high in the sky, shining happily down at the earth, so carefree, without any conflict in the world.
He missed Yue, truly he did sometimes, but he had Suki, and Toph, Aang, even Zuko. He wished he had Katara, but he messed up with her. He had accepted her apology when she ran off, but never got the chance to say it.
"Sokka?" he heard a small voice call from behind him. He turned around from the calming blue of the sea, to the distraught blue of Katara's eyes.
"Katara I'm…" Katara ran into him and gave him a hug. Unlike before, he hugged back immediately.
"I'm so sorry Sokka. He does care, he really does!" Katara whispered to him, her tears falling into his clothes.
"I know Katara, I know." They stood there, hugging each other until the moon was low in the sky.
Zuko, Toph and Aang walked in slowly, so not to disturb the siblings peace. They are both staring out into the sea.
Zuko walks up and taps both on the shoulders. They jump in surprise and turn around.
"Is everything good?" he asked cautiously.
"Yup, everything's good between my little sis and me. Now for you," he takes Katara in a head lock and jabs a finger into Zuko's chest, "if you hurt her, make her cry, do anything to make her emotionally unstable, I will have the ENTIRE Southern Water Tribe after you!"
"Sokka, quit giving Zuko the 3rd degree. I'm sure you didn't get it with Suki." Toph says, walking up and punching Sokka in the arm. He rubs it.
"So, you two love birds, when's the wedding?"
Zuko and Katara look at each other then at the others.
"Well," Katara starts, "it'll be in the Fire Nation and I want Dad, Gran-Gran and Paku, Suki, and everyone else there!"
"I also need my Uncle there" Zuko added.
"So it's in about a month?" Sokka asks. Katara nods and looks at Zuko, who nods along with her.
"Perfect, then we can relax!" Toph says, metalbending a seat and stool in front of her, she sits down and props her feet up. Everyone laughs at her and she grins up at them. The gang was back together.
the wedding is next chapter and then the epilogue.............the next chappie is going to be a llllloooonnnnnggggg chapter.............