Katara remembered the last time she saw Aang. Officially, he had visited the South Pole to talk to her father about trade routes, but in actuality it was to inform her of concerning news.
Dai Li copy-cats had been surfacing in various cities of the Earth Kingdom and had used the current state of confusing international affairs to impose anarchy. One of the more radical groups had been making troublesome appearances in Omashu. Aang's friend, King Bumi, had requested his assistance in running a covert mission of destroying their main base instead of attacking the adversaries directly. As a result of the king's precarious position, he wished that Aang would personally head the operation. In order to assure the rebel organization would have no future warning of the Avatar's involvement, it was deemed necessary for him to have a legitimate alibi, which is what led the airbender to the Southern Water Tribe.
After discussing briefly with Hakoda, Aang was invited into the chief's home for a dinner of whale hide and sea-prunes sweeted with seal blubber before leaving for Omashu the following morning. The tribe was going to testify that the Avatar was conducting an extended trip in order to help with much needed repairs.
Over his past few trips, Aang had acquired a taste for the salty delicacy made by Kanna, mainly as a result of the limited diet offered to vegetarians in the South Pole. The dinner was more than amiable as the individual personalities entertained each other. As the night died down, Kanna excused herself to go to rest for the night; she was shortly followed by Hakoda and then later by Sokka, leaving Katara and Aang to a familiar silence.
"Let's go outside," Katara said with a kind smile. Aang reciprocated half-heartedly and followed her out of the door. It was the mild season in the South Pole, so it wearing multiple layers of clothing to brave the outdoor weather wasn't necessary. Light wind and ever-present muted sunlight, allowed them to venture out comfortably; however the air on that night was uncharacteristically still and the sun was unseasonably absent.
The crunching of snow under their boots accompanied their conversation. The serenity of their surroundings and the calm tones in their voices allowed for an intimate feel to their conversation.
Novelty information was passed between them. Aang jubilantly exclaimed his explorations of the Eastern Air Temple; lacking a personal attachment to the other temples, he was able to speak somewhat freely of his findings, although Katara noticed the shine in his gray eyes grow dim. The waterbender described the discovery of a young boy waterbender, only two years of age, who had fallen into a pool of water and manipulated a wave to push him safely to a ledge. Aang listened intently to all of her story. His attentiveness was a trait that she cherished.
As they finished walking around the edge of town, Katara felt anxious about losing his presence, "When are you leaving?" She asked.
"Early tomorrow morning, if Appa feels up to it." Aang responded, glancing down.
Her heart faltered, "That soon? Aang, you should really stay and catch get some rest. You have been traveling for four days, just to turn right back around after one night?"
"Bumi is expecting us in the next few days, it's important that I am on time. My delayed arrival could mean potential failure," his voice softened, "Katara, I want to stay longer, but I can't."
The resolve set in his face showed that there was no room for negotiation, so Katara accepted defeat. "I'll see you tomorrow morning – "
"Actually, Appa and I will be leaving before sunrise to avoid the fanfare," Aang motioned towards the center of town where on more than one occasion the villagers had arranged ceremonies in his honor.
Katara fixated her gaze on the ground avoiding the piercing look she felt upon her face, "So this is goodbye."
Aang nodded his head solemnly.
He pulled her into a soft embrace before landing a light peck on her cheek. The whisper of his lips caused her face to flush. "Just for now." Looking up at his face, she noticed a guarded expression; she expected him to be nervous about the radicals. Katara gave a reassuring smile in response before parting from his arms.
"Goodbye, Katara." Aang turned towards the hallway and departed to his room as Katara watched him walk away.
Two months later she received an official message from the eccentric thing, the sealed document only described random subjects such as his pet and the weather and the different flavors of gemenite. Sokka figured this to be in a form of code and took several weeks analyzing it before deciding that Aang and his officers were fine, but it was unsafe to send personal letters at that time. However, the mission was due to be over in the next coming weeks. Elation filled Katara, but as the months passed her views on the situation turned sour, thinking of the most obscure explanations. Her anguish would not have been too bad if she had thought that Aang was still in the mission, her father however informed her that the avatar had been making diplomatic appearances at the other nations and was attending social events quite frequently.
The last time she heard from Aang was roughly a year after his departure for Omashu, he had written in a short letter the reasons for his neglect. Explanations of foreign obligations and civic duties washed over her like water through cloth as she began to see the real cause of his absence. His affections for her must have been forgotten.
Although Aang had requested a response his message, she never returned with a reply. Katara held onto the letter though, and kept it in the pocket of her traveling bag and intended to confront the avatar about it… If she could ever find the strength.
Standing below the luminescent moon, Katara reread the lines of characters on the crumpled piece of paper.
As a monk, it is difficult to go back on my promise, but I feel that for your benefit that is the thing I must do. I was dishonest the last time I was with you, Katara, and it is for that reason that I write to you now.
Goodbye forever,
Aang
A/N: Whew! You know I knew that this story needed updating, but I hadn't realized it had been a year! This chapter is dedicated to my last reviewer (whoever that was) who sent me a message telling me to update. This chapter in fact, was never intended to be included. I just wrote this today and thought to add it in. I have parts of the next two chapters already written, so expect another update within the next few weeks. Happy summer! Are you excited? I know I am.
Chapter Question:
Does this chapter fit well with the rest of the story? Does it flow differently? Is it too out-of-the-blue? Is the writing altered in any way?
-gretlcascade