Kat: OMW THIS IS MY FAV. CHAPTER. EVER. I'm just going to apologize in advance for this. Get ready for some feels. Seriously. This is just...this is almost too much for me. Hope you enjoy!

.

.

.

.

.

Immediately following the speech, there was another lively applause, and upbeat chatter soon filled the room once again. After politely excusing myself from a great number of guests who wished to greet me, wish me a happy birthday, and congratulate me some more, I exited the great dining hall and strolled through the big, vacant training lot to make my way to the gate. The party was nearly over, and the excitement within me bubbled as I waved up to the lookout tower so the guard would let me through. He leaned over to see who it was, then waved back to his companion. The fortified gates slipped open just enough for me to sneak through. Around its brim revealed Matokka, then grown and matured as well – even more-so that night than I had seen him before. Much to my initial irritation, his most recent and final growth spurt pushed him to be taller than me by several inches. His chest and shoulders had broadened and, due to years of mountain climbing and cave exploration, his arms and legs were solid muscle. But, to my amusement, his favorite modification was that his voice deepened – and no longer cracked when he spoke.

Aside from build, his facial features were greatly changed as well. His jaw had hardened, square and defined; his eyebrows had grown in thick and high-set; and his thin, deep-set eyes glowed in the most brilliant ultramarine blue.

It was strange looking at him so closely. I had seen him practically every day of our lives, but I had never really looked at him. The feeling it gave me was awkward, but oddly pleasing. It only took me a few extended seconds to realize why I chose that moment to really look at him. Something about him was definitely different. And not just a physical kind of different, it was the air between us. The atmosphere. But the atmosphere almost seemed to take its cue from him, which only made things even more complicated and confusing.

I looked at him again, and I suddenly realized what was different. He was clothed in his nicest suit, which peeked through his thick, expensive parka – an ensemble I had seen several times before, but never actually on him. If I ever brought it up, he would casually explain it away that he never had an occasion special enough for which to wear it. And his hair – his dark chestnut hair was long, but instead of his signature, disheveled, bed-head look, he had it neatly combed down and off to one side – not a hair out of place.

With all of those changes, in body and dress both, I was almost inclined to believe that the man before me was some random stranger rather than the boy I had grown up with. His expression was different too. His lips curled into an awkward, almost embarrassed kind of smile, and the odd sparkle in his eyes were even more confusing. They were still that cool cobalt blue, which I hadn't expected to differ anyway, but the emotions shining through them were complex. In them I saw a glimmer of contentment, determination, excitement, seriousness, and...anxiety?

Shyly, I took a few steps toward him. For some reason that I couldn't identify at the time, I kept my head down, and I could only look up at him with my eyes. Then, slowly, I spoke. "Hey... Are you...okay?"

After some hesitation, he answered with a simple "Yes."

There was a moment of discomforting silence between us. My eyes wandered about to almost everything in sight except for Matokka before I happened to glance down at my dress. It was better than nothing when it came to making a conversation. "Do I look alright?"

It was just a question. It was to have something to talk about. Something to ease the stillness of the air. It wasn't that I had ever been all that self-conscious about my appearance, especially around my best friend (who never cared how I looked), but again, there was something about that night that was definitely different. I was acting strangely, as was he; neither of us had any reason to be self-conscious and yet we were. We both looked fine, but that was most likely the problem. It was not in our nature to dress up – and never around each other – but whenever we did, we made an effort to look our best. And that was what we had done. While he had taken the time to put together his suit and do his hair, I had organized my own outfit. My long hair was left loose – no ponytail, no braid, no hair loopies – so that it fell neatly down my shoulders and back. I donned a long-sleeved dress in a light azure hue. The gown was fairly simple: a slim skirt with a short, wave-like flair along the hem; a bodice overlaid with an intricately woven lace; and a wide sash tied simply around my waist. With the dress I wore warm, fingered gloves and thick, moccasin boots. Over the dress I wore a soft, beige, rabbit-mink shawl, cut off at the elbow, and a matching muff covered my hands.

When Matokka didn't answer my question so as to start a conversation, I repeated myself. "Matokka... Do I look alright?"

"Alright?" he asked, flustered, as he ran his fingers through his hair. "You look...amazing."

My eyes widened, and a bright red blush crept across my face at his unexpected compliment. I raised a hand to hide it, but it was pretty pointless since I was sure he'd seen it. "Thanks..." I lowered my hand. Wow, I was expecting a 'sure, fine', or even a 'whatever', nothing like the answer he gave me... "So, uh...where are we going?"

"Come on, I'll show you," he answered. His voice still had it's usual mischievous ring to it, but at that moment it also held a sense of gentleness and security, a tone I'd never quite heard from Matokka before. He held out his hand, silently asking for mine. Automatically I pulled my hand out of the muff and let it fall into his hand, but as I did, my mind hesitated. That whole situation – him wanting to meet me after the party to go some secret place – seemed way too suspicious. That was Matokka...being genuinely nice to me? That was too strange to be real. Having known him since practically birth, I knew all too well what he could have been leading me to. I was just waiting for him to do something – to grab my arm and hurl me into a snowbank, or to shove a ball of snow in my face, or have a bunch of his waterbending friends ambush me, or...something.

But it never came.

Instead, he led me carefully up to Eyu Mountain, up to a ledge overhanging the Antarctic seas. It was a familiar ledge. It was in the exact spot where he had landed after his terrifying fall all those years ago. The one that I had made to catch him. Cautiously, he seated us a safe distance away from the edge, but not so far back that we were leaning against the rugged cliff-side. The snow was thick and compact, yet soft and cool to the touch. I curled my legs up beside me and leaned slightly on my right hand, the hand between me and Matokka. Once I was comfortable, I noticed how the setting sun turned the ice peach and gold, and how its brilliant beams were blocked by the mountain, casting lavender shadows for miles toward the horizon.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" he sighed.

I just nodded, staring out over the mesmerizing sea, still wondering what this trip was all about. A sense of uneasiness festered inside me when I realized that, even though Matokka had taken me all the way out there for the view, he wasn't even paying attention to it. His gaze was locked on me. In my peripheral vision I noticed that his ocean blue eyes searched my face for something, though for what I could not be certain. He was sitting just inches away, and I could almost feel his warmth across the small distance between us. But the strange thing was that...I wasn't sure if I didn't like it. Nervously, casually, he leaned toward me. And, slowly, steadily, he moved his hand toward mine. With equal pace it inched closer and closer. I remained rigid, expecting our fingers to touch. When they did, I flinched. Instinctively I drew my hand away, my fingers curling in on themselves. In that moment I could feel the disappointment radiating off of him, and after a quick moment of hesitation...I relented. I moved my hand back toward his, and allowed his strong fingers to wrap around mine. Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw the smallest of smiles begin to form on his lips.

The sun kept sinking beneath the mountains, the ice fading from gold to orange to red to purple to gray, but just before the sun said its final goodnight, I had to ask him my nagging question. "Matokka?"

Our voices were soft, not quite whispers. "Hmm?"

"What is this all about?"

"What is all of what about?" he asked quietly, innocently.

I glanced sidelong at him, tired and confused. "You know what I mean."

"Well tell me anyway."

"All of...this. I don't know... The clothes, the hair, this-" I nodded down to our hands, which were still linked together. "Why did you bring me up here? Why this spot? Why tonight?"

Rather than answering my questions, Matokka said simply and suddenly, "Close your eyes."

My head whipped around to face him, perturbed by his request. "What? Why? You haven't answered-"

"Trust me," he interrupted, knowing to stop me at my first sign of protest. "Please. Just...trust me." His lips turned up into a knowing, gentle smile. Skeptical, I gave him a weird look, questioning him with my eyes. But as I looked into his, I saw that they were almost pleading. It reminded me of the look Korra gave me in our room just before the party. Again, it wasn't a look I was familiar with for either of them.

Still confused, but obedient, I closed my eyes, sat up straight, and lifted my chin – just so he knew I was only doing so because he asked so nicely. I could hear him shuffling around beside me, like he was digging around in his coat pocket, before he stood up. I heard the snow give under his weight as he moved around behind me. Then, startled, I felt something pull around my neck. Every instinct inside me told me to fight, to stop whatever he was doing before the situation took a turn for the worst. If it had been anyone else, I would have knocked them clear to Yue, but having been my best friend had its perks – such as trust.

Whatever it was that was pulled tight around my neck slackened a little, and it rested between my collar bones. As Matokka returned to his place beside me, and with my eyes still closed, I slowly moved my hand up to my neck. My gloved fingers ran along a small stone, about the size of a coin, with a roughly etched pattern carved into it. It was hard to make out, but by the way the grooves flowed, they must have been waves. Attached to the stone was a strand of smooth, durable silk, which held the stone in place around my neck. Without even looking at the gift, I knew what it was. My heartbeat quickened. Slowly I opened my eyes and looked at Matokka, still clutching the stone. "A...a betrothal necklace?" My thoughts suddenly became scrambled, and my tongue felt heavy and uncooperative in my mouth as I tried to form coherent sentences. "I-I want, I can't, I thought that you... I-I mean..." Frustrated, I heaved a heavy sigh, shook my head, and tried again. "Matokka...I don't understand."

"Well, I'm no master craftsman, but yes, it is a betrothal necklace. I just wanted you to have it."

"Why? For what?" I asked, my head still trying to swim through a muddy fog.

"For when you are ready."

"Ready...? To get...to get married? Us?"

"Yes."

His confident answer threw my already-confused mind into a whirlwind. Us? Get married? What?! One minute we're a couple of crazy kids pushing each other around, and now he's...? I closed my eyes again, tight, and I couldn't stop myself from trembling. I covered my face with my hands as the significance of what he was saying overwhelmed me. Seeing my distress, Matokka started to lift a hand to comfort me, but he hesitated, about to lower it again, unsure of what to do in that situation. But, gaining some courage, he wrapped his whole arm around my shoulder and pulled me in close, placing a hand on my head so that I leaned against his chest. As he did that, suddenly everything became clear. He likes me, I thought. No, it's more than that. All of those signs that I wasn't sure what to make of before... His dislike for making promises when we were kids, his awkwardness after he fell off that cliff and again after Katara healed him, and now...the nice clothes, his discomfort when meeting me, the closeness he's using this very moment...He doesn't just like me.

After I felt as though I had pulled myself together, I opened my eyes and leaned away. The small smile that Matokka had been wearing suddenly dropped. Again everything became clear. I realized that I didn't want his smile to disappear. I didn't want his smile to ever disappear. "I'm sorry. I just...wasn't expecting that."

Smiling again, he took one of my hands into his. He rubbed his thumb over the back of it gently. Him doing so only reminded me of my questions from before, some of which still hadn't been answered. "Matokka...what is all of this about? I understand now what you...what you want to do, but...why now? Why here?"

Matokka leaned toward me, his shoulder touching mine, as he answered. "Now because...I felt like the time was right. And right here because...this is the place where I first realized I was in love with you."

My mind went numb. It was one thing to give me a betrothal necklace as a symbol of his love, but it was another thing to hear him actually say he was in love with me. I was dumbstruck, and my jaw hung slightly agape as I shook my head a bit, attempted to speak, to give him some sort of answer, but the words wouldn't come.

"Katalana..." Matokka sighed, grinning a bit, trying to help me return to him. "Katalana, I don't even know where to begin. This is something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but...there wasn't ever a 'right time' to say it, and even if there had been...I could never work up the courage to say it. But it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized that I couldn't withhold this from you any longer. Then it hit me that this would be the perfect time to tell you. Your birthday, the day it finally became appropriate for a girl to get married...and the day that led to the most amazing part of my life."

I didn't have time to decide if his cheeks were burning red from the cold or from embarrassment before he spoke again.

"Katalana, you are truly the most amazing person in my life. You're the best friend that anyone could ever have. Compared to you, I must seem like the lousiest guy on earth."

A laugh escaped my lips and a few confusedly happy tears escaped my eyes.

"No, seriously!" he said, as if he thought I was protesting. "I've teased you, I've pranked you, I've scared you half to death a time or two – and you've put up with it all. There are too many things that you've done for me over the years for me to count. You've been there for me when I was down or sick or injured, you've willingly accepted punishment for sneaking out just to see me, and you've even gone as far as risking your own life to save mine – and more than once I might add! But what have I done for you? Besides cause you pain? I won't hide my faults from you, Katalana – not that I could anyway, seeing as you know them already – but I want there to be a strong mutual trust between us. I know that tonight has thrown you off, considering how we both have been acting, and I know you were wary when you agreed to come up here. I don't want us to be like that anymore. Now, I'm not promising to change completely, but enough so that you don't have to be on your guard every time you're with me. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you've always been there for me, and even if I haven't done such a good job of it in the past, my only hope is that I can and will always do the same for you."

He paused, letting all of what he said sink in. I sat stock still, too dumbfounded to do anything willingly. My tears flowed harder now. I couldn't tell from which emotion they stemmed. That didn't really matter to Matokka, though, for he laid his hand across my cheek and brushed the tears away with his thumb. The warmth of his hands was so unfamiliar to me, but as I felt when we first sat down on that ledge, with him so close to me...I wasn't sure if I didn't like it. Slowly, I set my hand over his and pulled it gently away from my cheek, resting them on my lap, then nodded, prompting him to continue.

"Katalana...we've grown up together. I've seen you grow and change and become the beautiful, powerful, amazing person that God made you to be. And even though we've had a few rough spots here and there, you've made me a better person. I'd like to think that our friendship has brought out the best in both of us. But now...I want more than that. I want us to be more than that."

His eyes gleamed as they stared longingly at his gift around my neck. Then he sat back, as if telling a story – which he almost was.

"When we were little, even after you moved away, nothing stopped us from being friends. Nothing changed except for the route to get between our homes. I want that to happen again, soon, but on a deeper, more meaningful level."

He stopped to chuckle at his own remark. "I sound like an eighty year old professor speaking in metaphors."

I had to stop and laugh too.

"Well, enough of that," he said, still smiling, but in a more serious, confident manner, as he looked deep into my eyes. "Katalana, I want to be perfectly clear that nothing in this world would make me happier than spending the rest of my life with you."

For a split second a look crossed his face as though he had forgotten something important, but he was quick to sober up. "Look, I don't want you to feel as though you have to accept. I don't want to pressure you. Honestly, I understand if you don't even feel the same way right now. This" -he motioned to my necklace- "can be more of a promissory symbol than what it is traditionally known as, but really this is all up to you."

There were small droplets of sweat forming along his hairline, which I knew were forming from nervousness and not (the nonexistent) atmospheric heat. "So, here it is," he paused to get situated. Since we were already sitting, he got up on one knee so that we were nearly the same height on that uneven ledge, then he took both of my hands into his, and he stared deep into my eyes as he asked his final question. "Katalana, will you marry me?"

Again, I stayed in my place, trembling from the cold, his speech, and my own thoughts tumbling around inside my head. My mouth remained opened slightly, as if I was going to answer, but again no words came.

Married? Us? I thought. I don't know... I mean, I've never really thought about it before. If he'd asked me a few years ago, I would have laughed and played some weird and sneaky prank on him, but now...? I still don't know. The idea doesn't appall me, nor even strike me as unsavory. Who knows? I could grow to like it. It's not like I spend much time away from him anyway, and I'm always disappointed if there's a day I am unable to leave the compound to see him. Does that mean something? Does that mean that I like him too? These thoughts continued to swirl through my mind, making me lightheaded, but nonetheless, they wracked my brain and tugged at my heart as they repeated themselves over and over.

Do I like Matokka? No...that's the right question. Do I love him?

Matokka waited patiently for me to respond. He remained there, on one knee, searching my expression for a glimpse of what my answer might be. When I could offer him nothing, he sighed, assuming the worst. His smile faded into a simple grimace that seemed to only mask his true disappointment. Dejected, he pulled his hands away from mine and used one to rub the back of his head. "It's...it's alright, Katalana. Maybe...I was wrong. Maybe I...rushed into things a bit. I thought it was time, and I wanted you to know how I felt. I-I understand if you don't want to-"

"Yes!" I blurted out. Immediately I clamped my hands over my mouth, but even that couldn't hold back the girlishly giddy grin that played on my lips.

Matokka stopped short. His head was hung, but, as if in slow motion, his eyes panned up to my face. His head slowly followed, his eyes wide, unsure if he had heard me clearly. "What?"

"Yes," I repeated, trying to contain my excitement. "Yes, Matokka, I do want to marry you."

When his brain seemed to register my answer, I watched his eyes grew even wider, happier, and a smile broke out across his face. It was a jubilant smile, an animated smile, an ecstatic smile. It was a smile so wide and utterly amazed that he seemed to be in pain just from smiling so wide. That was a smile I truly never wanted to disappear.

We both sat still for a second, so stunned and confused and giddy all at the same time. Caught up in the moment, I launched myself forward again, like when I found him after the fall, wrapping my arms around him in a long embrace. He didn't veer away this time, nor even hesitate. He squeezed me back, lovingly, as if he had wanted to do for a long time and never could.

We stayed like that for what seemed like hours but couldn't have been more than a few minutes, and it still seemed too soon when we let go. Still grinning uncontrollably, I blushed, suddenly overcome with shyness and embarrassment, but it was perfectly fine because...he did too! Everything was so undecided, so blurry, and I bit my lip, unsure of what to do next. But I guess I didn't have to decide, because Matokka was leaning in again. Gently, he brushed a few stray hairs away from my eyes before tracing his fingers along my cheek, sending a satisfied shiver up my spine. Then, he reached out and held my face in his hands, softly, just barely touching me, as if he feared that using any more pressure would break me. Once again, his strong hands were warm and inviting, especially compared to the chill of the evening mountain air. And finally, ignoring everything around us – the cold, the darkness, the howling wind – he looked deep into my sparkling emerald eyes, and I in his deep ocean blues, before he pressed his lips against mine. It was tentative at first, as we were both new to it, but it soon deepened into something more. It was such a sweet, passionate, life-changing gesture. We had just shared our first kiss.

It was true that I had never thought about us in that way, or that I had ever thought about me having that kind of relationship with anyone for that matter, but, I had to say...I enjoyed it. That was so strange – him kissing me. Honestly, willingly, kissing me. He hadn't gagged or wiped his mouth on his sleeve that time. He kissed me, and he liked it.

Even so, it ended all too soon. We leaned back, both of us letting out a deep breath that neither of us realized we had been holding. My head was spinning with all that had just happened. Things would never be the same between us. Married! We were going to get married! That little punk kid who shoved me off a roof when we were nine was, at seventeen, a teasing, yet caring young man that I realized I couldn't live without. That kiss was only the beginning of something. It was the beginning of a whole new life together. It represented all of what we had, and it was barely a glimpse of everything in store for our future.

But, thinking that...reminded me of the party. Tenzin, training, the departure for Republic City in two days. It all came rushing back, and the thrill that Korra and I had experienced earlier that night suddenly seemed shameful. My heart shattered in my chest. I felt my stomach turn and churn and flip to the point where I nearly made myself sick.

What?! I can't leave yet! I just...we just... I can't abandon Korra now, after all we've been through. She's worked so hard for this, this is all she's ever wanted... But Matokka and I have been through just as much! Everything he just talked about, it was all true, it all meant something to him, means something to me. Ooh! What am I going to do...? My thoughts were so scrambled that I wouldn't have been able to untangle them for who-knows-how-long, but through all of my muddling and grasping for answers, there was one small voice that kept repeating the same thing over and over. Hearing that voice reminded me of someone I hadn't spoken to in a long time, someone I should have been speaking to all the time, and I decided to act on what that voice had said.

Lord, I prayed silently, I do know, deep down, what I should do...what I have to do. These two options have joys equally amazing, and consequences equally crushing. I just don't like having to decide. Leaving one of them behind... Please, Lord, if there is some way to avoid this... I need your help, Lord, your guidance, your peace. In your name I pray, Amen.

It wasn't the best prayer in the world, or even a good one, but just making an effort did put me somewhat at ease. But I was still disheartened. I would still have to choose.

I looked over at Matokka. He was staring out over the landscape for probably the first time that night. The sky was dark then, but the view remained spectacular nonetheless. Matokka's eyes were fixed on something way in the distance, like a star or some far off memory, or maybe even a vision of the future.

Dread consumed me, and my girlish smile dropped into a serious and devastated frown. Seeking comfort, I placed a hand over his and intertwined our fingers.

That gesture captivated his attention, and as soon as he saw my crestfallen face, his became so as well. I shut my eyes and turned my head away, but he gingerly placed his free hand on my cheek to turn it back. His voice was soft and sweet, comforting, as I fought my internal struggle. "What's wrong?"

I curled my fingers around the hand on my cheek and squeezed it firmly, hoping to draw strength from it as tears welled up in my eyes, trying to force themselves out. "I'm sorry," I whispered, barely audible.

Matokka leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine lovingly, not understanding my distress.

"I'm sorry," I repeated a tiny bit louder.

"Sorry?" he asked, his voiced becoming ever-so-slightly strained. "What is there to be sorry about?"

"For...this," I answered, gesturing to the air between us. "All of this."

Even though I expected some impatient, possibly angry reply, he remained calm remarkably well. "Katalana...I don't understand."

"Matokka...I can't..."

"You can't...what?"

"I can't marry you." I lifted my head to look at him, right into his eyes. They were deep, swirling, watery, such an intense ultramarine blue that I was surprised I wasn't peering directly into the ocean. Instead, I was peering into his soul. He looked and sounded perfectly tranquil, but to anyone who knew him as well as I did would know that he was not. I was scaring him.

Shaking my head again, I lowered my gaze, my eyes following the faint lines I had made with every shift since we sat down. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to get your hopes up like this. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Hurt me? Katalana, what are you talking about?"

"I-I'm leaving. In two days. The Order told us that...Korra needs to finish her training... She's going to Republic City to learn airbending and...and I'm going with her." My voice cracked as I explained. I struggled to avoid choking on my own tears. I was only so far away from breaking down.

Matokka continued to look at me, his expression revealing that he was more thoughtful with his reply than distressed. I had a fleeting suspicion that he was trying to remain calm more for me, to keep me from breaking down, but another thought crossed my mind that he might be attempting to remain calm for himself, to keep himself from breaking down. He swallowed hard, and I could see just the faintest trace of him trembling. "Why are you telling me this now? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't find out until tonight, at the party," I explained, controlling my shaking voice. "I wish you had been there. The speech Hankota gave was absolutely horrible, so I guess the news that we were leaving made us itching to go." Being so close to tears, I had to pause and sniffle before continuing. "I am so, so sorry for feeling that way, for not protesting. I had no idea they were going to announce that, I had no idea they were going to take us so soon... If only I'd said something..." Again I paused to collect myself. "It's a stupid and unworthy excuse, but when you made your own speech, when you gave me this" -I touched my necklace- "I was so stunned that I...forgot...about the party."

Matokka listened quietly, patiently, intently, thoughtfully, until I was finished. "But I still don't understand why you have to leave. Aren't there masters who can move down here to teach Korra? That's what they did with fire and water, right? Why not air?"

"Well, it's not so simple. Katara already lived here, and surprisingly there were firebenders who were willing to move down here. And our grandfather taught me to bend, but now that he has passed the most reasonable thing to do would be to have me teach Korra. The thing is, though, I don't have to teach her here. Earthbending can be taught pretty much anywhere. I can go wherever she goes. Tenzin, though...he has a family he needs to take care of. He has responsibilities in the city as well. He can't drop everything and move. We have to go to him."

"So why do you have to go? Korra is the Avatar, correct? Couldn't she find someone else to teach her earthbending?"

My jaw dropped when he said that. I gaped at him, fury and pain coursing through my veins and fueling my rant. "How can you say that?! You know how important Korra is to me! You know how much I've given up for her! I can't abandon her now!"

Matokka put his hands on my shoulders to calm me, but I didn't feel like being placated. I shoved his hands aside, but he stuck them right back on. I couldn't stand to look at him. Hot tears formed once again and spilled slowly down my cheeks. How can he say that? He should know me better than that!

"I'm sorry," he said softly, but firmly. He tilted his head to look at my face, and so I could look at his, to know he was sincere. "I do know you better than that."

My head snapped up in surprise. "But how did you-"

He laughed and gave me his famous mischievous smile, then slugged me playfully on the arm. "No, I didn't read your mind. That was just a guess."

Despite my anger, a reluctant smile couldn't restrain itself from unfolding.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "That was just a moment-of-selfishness thing. I know how much you love Korra, and I know you would never leave her – or let her leave you."

His words touched me, and unfortunately for my lingering rage, it was enough to make me forgive him. I let his arms slide around my neck again, pulling me into another hug. I laid my head on his shoulder, enjoying what would probably be our last moment alone like this for a very, very long time. "Thank you...for everything."

"You're welcome."

It was long after dark by the time we separated. I used my gloves to wipe my tear-stained cheeks. "We should go," I said, standing up. "Your mom and Korra and everyone back at the compound are probably searching frantically for us right now." Then, with a heavy heart, I reached up and untied my betrothal necklace. I held it in my hand for a long time, just staring at it, thinking of everything we could have had. That was the first time I had actually seen the necklace, and even though it would not have been considered perfect by a true artisan's standards, it was perfect to me. The stone was a deep ocean blue, almost the color of his eyes. And I had been right about the waves. The indents swirled from one end of the stone to the other, some of them overlapping others. There were a few scratches here and there, and little rock shavings that had gotten stuck in the grooves, but that didn't matter to me. It was lovely. I stared at it for a moment longer, still smiling. Then, even more reluctantly than when I had taken it off, I held it out to Matokka. He stepped toward me; his gaze never faltering as he looked into my eyes once again. Without looking down, he closed my fingers around the necklace, then leaned forward and brushed his lips against my cheek. I could feel his breath on my ear as he whispered his last words to me.

"Keep it. I know that you will return one day, and when you do...I'll be here waiting."

Thankful for his encouragement, I pulled the token around my neck and he stepped behind me to help refasten it. With that said and done, he put his arm over my shoulder and walked me back to the compound. I waved up to the gatekeeper, who shouted to the rest of the camp that I had returned. So they have been searching for me. I laughed, for probably the first time that evening. Then, choking back tears, I turned to Matokka, and kissed him one last time. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Goodbye, Matokka."

"Goodbye, Katalana."

.

.

.

.

.

Kat: *sigh* Why do I do this to myself? Lol! Anyway, liiiiittle bit of a spoiler alert, but their situation will get much worse before it gets better. But it WILL get better - promise! It just might be a while. Sorry!

.

I do not own TLOK or any of its characters, settings, themes, etc.

.

CQC's! I wanna know what everyone thinks about this chapter more than any other! Thanks for reading! :D