Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.
Katara and Zuko were still sitting at the turtle-duck pond. Katara had bandaged Zuko after her healing session was complete. He was now laying his back against the tree asleep. Fire Sages had come over many times to talk with him, but Zuko had told him they would have their discussions with their friends had arrived.
Katara was gently bending the water in the pond, her eyes were flashing to the sky every few minutes. Anxious for their arrival. It had a few hours since their fight with Azula. The comet was long gone and night was closing in fast.
Where are they? They should have been here by now.
She sighed and dropped the water in the pond gently. Suddenly, there a rumble coming from the sky.
"Zuko! Wake up!" she yelled.
He jumped, startled from her sudden outburst. "What – What's going?"
"I see an airship! That has to be them!" she replied, helping him to his feet and started running to the courtyard of the palace. Totally forgetting that Zuko was in no shape to run.
"I'll just catch up!" he called after her.
She kept going. She didn't care at the moment she left her friend behind. All that mattered was that the rest of her family was on that airship, or at least they should be. And if they were, then he must have been on it as well. The time she got to the courtyard the ship was landing. She waited till it was set on the ground and the platform lowering down. Zuko at this point had almost caught, still behind but almost there.
With the platform lowered, she saw three figures walk down. She walked closer for a better look. It was Suki, Sokka, and Toph. Suki and Toph were helping Sokka walk down, his leg seemed to be injured.
"Sokka! Suki! Toph!" she yelled, "You guys are alright! Sokka, what happened to your leg?"
"Katara! Zuko! You guys are alright! And I think it's just broken, don't worry about it. I'm sure you can fix it."
Realizing that the most important was missing, her face suddenly slackened and her tears began coming to her eyes.
"Where – Where's Aang? Is he…? Is he is alright? Where is he Sokka!?" she yelled.
"Relax Katara, he's on the ship. He's just…"
She took off past them, not bothering to listen to what he had to said. She needed to see him for herself. Why wouldn't he come out with them? Was he hurt? She checked every room she passed. Becoming more and more desperate to find the boy who had changed her life.
The next door she opened, she froze. Her vision tunneled. He was lying on the bed, his chest rising and falling every so slightly. He's alive. She took quiet footsteps closer to him. Kneeling on the ground beside him, afraid to wake him up.
She took a better look at him. His shirt was gone and his body showed cuts and burns. She flinched at his injuries. Imagining the pain he must have went through facing Ozai. She made up a mental note to give him a healing session as well. Her eyes wandered up to his face. His features were... peaceful. She smiled.
She watched him for a few more moments, trying to restrain herself. She didn't want to ruin his first peaceful moment since she released him from the iceberg but she couldn't take it anymore. She reached out to gently place her hand on his arm.
"Aang?" she whispered.
A/N: Thought i should put a little cliffhanger. even though the next chapter is almost done haha. but please review! also i keep kind of switching point of views between Katara and Aang, yet remain in a bit of third person. i'm just trying to get a feel for what sounds right, so bare with me.