Chapter 2

Hey guys. I just wanted to say sorry that I haven't written in a while or continued any of my previous stories. I just haven't felt any inspiration to continue them, unfortunately, but this story was the first time I've felt that familiar kick to write something again. I can't promise I'll finish this one either, but I'll be trying to continue it. Thank you for reading. Stay safe.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Two days had passed by since Aang had first boarded the train. Two days since he had last seen the beautiful woman and her brother. He was still none too pleased about the situation they had been put in simply because they had tanner skin than the others in his car. He knew that the country had a history of slavery, much to his disgust, but he had been hoping that since now all were free and equal people, that all would be treated as such. And yet, despite the progress that had been made, even now people were being discriminated against.

Fortunately, he had spent his life in the northern part of the country where the racism problem was much more controlled, but even in these progressive parts anyone with colored skin still faced discrimination. Albeit, far less discrimination as opposed to the southern part of the country, but discrimination nonetheless.

Growing up, he had been aware that there had been a social difference between the two groups of people, but it hadn't been until two days ago that he had seen firsthand just how bad it was. He still couldn't help but feel sickened that what appeared to be a kind, old man would go to such lengths to ensure that he wouldn't have to sit by someone just because of what their skin looked like.

It was wrong, but at least for now, there was little he could do about it. Whether he liked it or not, it was simply how things were. That didn't mean that he would simply comply with it, however. Ever since that day, he had found in himself a new resolve that he would try to help in any way that he could.

Sighing again, he looked out his window and was not surprised to find that it was pitch black outside. He had been attempting to sleep, but had very little luck. Despite his anticipation of the competition he would be participating in, he still wasn't very happy with how things had gone when the siblings had been forced to change cars. More than that, he also was not very happy that he had been prevented from being able to speak to the beautiful woman whom he had defended.

There was just something about her. Of course, her looks certainly didn't hurt anything, but having watched her in action, Aang had taken quite a liking to the fire in her eyes as she had defended her and her brother. The look in her eyes had been proud and defiant, and Aang couldn't help but feel quite attracted to her as she had respectfully but reasonably angrily argued her point.

He still didn't know much about her, but he was certain of one thing: He wanted to get to know her more. Unfortunately for him, he had been prevented from being able to do so, as he was not allowed to go to the other car to see her. An idea came to mind as he looked around at the people slumbering around him, the realization that he was the only one still awake in the car making hope grow in his heart that he would be able to see the woman again.

Knowing that this wasn't a very good idea, but knowing that seeing her again would be well worth whatever possible consequences he might face, his heart fought his mind for a few moments before his heart decidedly won. Being as careful as he could, he rose to his feet and slowly crept his way over to the door, praying all the while that he would not wake anyone up.

After stealthily making his way towards the door that separated the cars, he looked back at the people behind him to make sure no one had been disturbed from their slumber and became relieved when he saw that they were still fast asleep. Letting out a soft sigh of relief, he turned back to face the door and very carefully opened it, looking back once more to ensure that he would not be caught before stepping outside.

He knew that this perhaps was not the best idea, as the train was still going and there was no light to help him see other than the moonlight shining down on him. Fortunately for him, there was just enough moonlight for him to see how to get across. Looking down at the gap between the two cars, sudden fear struck his heart as he realized one wrong step could potentially be the death of him.

Shaking his fear off, he forced himself to take a deep breath and reminded himself of why he was doing this. Not allowing his fear to hold himself back any longer, he moved tentatively forward until he stood at the edge of the car, preparing himself for the small jump. "Okay, Aang. It's no big deal," he whispered to himself. "It's just like when you were a kid. Right?"

Knowing that he wouldn't get a response to his rhetorical question, he took one last deep breath and backed up to the door behind him, his adrenaline pumping energy into him as he prepared himself. Not wasting any more time, and knowing that the longer he waited the less courage he would have, he forced himself to stop thinking and finally jumped, crashing softly into the door that led into the other car..

He had only been in the air for a short moment, but doing such a risky jump on a moving train reminded him of why he had loved jumping as a kid. There was a certain rush that he got when he was in the air, and he had to remind himself of why he had jumped to not jump back for the fun of it. Knowing what he had to do, he forced himself to focus and peeked inside the window. From what he could see, everyone inside the car was peacefully slumbering.

There was one problem with his plan that he seemed to realize all too late: The woman that he wanted to speak to was likely fast asleep. What had he been thinking? Of course she and the other passengers would be resting like he should have been. He really should have thought this through. Though this was the one chance he would have to be able to talk to her, how could he go in there and just wake everyone up so he could talk to her? He couldn't do something so selfish.

Not only that, but something else occurred to him as well. There was a more than fair chance that the woman and her brother had already disembarked from the train in the last two days. Had he really gone through all of this trouble for a woman who quite possibly wasn't even on the train anymore? And even if by some miracle she was still there, how could he be so heartless as to wake her and the others up because he wanted to see her again?

Squeezing his eyes shut in shame, he muttered to himself as he banged his head against the car door three times. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Meanwhile, as Aang silently reprimanded himself for his poor planning, he was not aware that his self-punishment had caused someone to wake up. In the train car in front of him, the very woman he had been wanting to speak to had been awoken by the sound of his head hitting the door that separated them. Katara, however, could not see anything but the vague outline of a person from inside the car, not knowing that it was just a young man who wished to know her more.

Keeping her voice low, she nudged her brother who sat next to her and whispered. "Sokka." Getting no response from her brother, she nudged him a little harder and repeated. "Sokka, wake up."

"Five more minutes," he muttered sleepily, immediately going back to his snoring as Katara rolled her eyes. When her brother was asleep, it was nearly impossible to wake him up. And unfortunately, she wasn't about to waste the only water they had just to wake him up. Even if she would prefer to have some back up as she investigated the strange silhouette outside of the car door.

Knowing that her brother would be of no help and wanting to make sure that no one was in danger, she reached into her bag and brought out a small knife. It wasn't much, but her father had wanted her and her brother to be prepared in case something happened. It was a tough world, especially so for anyone with differently-colored skin. Despite having originally thought it was unnecessary, she was now glad that her Father had gifted it to her. It may prove useful after all.

Keeping it ready in her hand as she slowly got up and crept to the door, she attempted to look through the glass, but was unable to get a good look due to the moonlight coming in from the window. All she could tell about the stranger outside their car was that they had the outline of a man. He didn't appear to be trying to break in, but he also wasn't moving at all. Was he spying on them? Maybe it was that old man who had banished them from the first car, trying to figure out how he could torment them further…

Being enraged at this thought, especially after all the trouble he had already put them through, she got her knife ready just in case it was an attacker and swung open the door. Aang, who had still been silently cursing himself for not thinking this through, became surprised as the door was taken away from him. So surprised that he instinctively took a step back, not remembering that he had very little room to do so and letting out a gasp as he felt his heel dangling off the edge of the train car.

Fortunately for him, he had managed to back up just enough to where he did not fall off of the car, letting out a sigh of relief as he turned his attention back to the door. To his surprise, he found himself to be just one foot away from the very girl he had been desiring to speak to again for the last two days.

Katara, alert for any signs of danger from this stranger and not being able to see him in the darkness, asked dangerously as she pointed her knife at him. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry," Aang apologized earnestly as he kept his hands up, looking back at his foot to make sure he wasn't slipping off before returning his attention to the beautiful young woman in front of him. "I… uh… well…"

Seeing that she wasn't going to get an answer for her first question, she decided to ask another one. "Who are you?" she demanded as she pressed the knife closer.

"Easy there," Aang laughed nervously as he stepped into the light, making her gasp as she finally recognized him. "I come in peace. I promise."

"It's you," she said softly, remembering him well. No one had ever stood up for her brother and her before, but this young man had changed that. Still, despite the fact that she knew what he had tried to do for them, she couldn't forget that he had been watching them from outside the car door and leveled a suspicious look at him. "What are you doing out here? Why were you watching us?"

"I wasn't watching you," he assured her, making her raise an eyebrow at him as she waited for him to explain himself further. Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, he then continued. "I… wanted to check up on you guys. And I wanted to apologize for what happened two days ago. I couldn't sleep tonight, and I realized that no one would know if I came to see if you guys were okay." He laughed derisively at himself. "Only I realized too late that you guys would be sleeping, too."

"Oh," Katara said in understanding, her knife lowering as she looked at him with an apologetic look as she stepped back to let him get away from the ledge of the car. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have threatened you with a knife."

Feeling relieved that she wasn't holding it to him anymore, he got away from the ledge and turned his attention back to her, gratitude that he was getting talked to her being mixed with guilt that he had woken her up and scared her. "Don't be sorry. It's my fault. I should have thought this through," he told her easily as he looked at the moon shining above them. "I just… wanted to see you again…" he reluctantly admitted, making her smile just a little.

Closing the knife fully, she replied. "Well, I'm glad that you aren't someone trying to hurt us." She paused and looked back at him. "And I'm glad I got to see you again."

Her admission made him smile, looking into each other's eyes for a few moments before they were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Turning to look at the sudden noise, both were surprised to find that it was her brother who had interrupted their moment. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at them both, but his eyes widened as he realized that his sister was not alone.

"Who are you?" he demanded as he took out what appeared to be a boomerang from his shoulder and pointed it at Aang. "What do you want?"

Rolling her eyes at her brother, she turned to him and put her hands on her hips. "Sokka, relax. He's a friend," she assured him. He looked between the two with suspicion, but after a few moments he re-sheathed his boomerang. "You're late, by the way."

"Hey, I thought I was dreaming when you woke me up," he shrugged simply before looking back at Aang. Getting a closer look at him, he finally realized who he was and cracked a smile. "Hey, it's you! The guy that tried to help us!"

"Yeah, it's me," Aang laughed good-naturedly, being glad that Sokka appeared to remember him as well. The last thing he wanted right now was to get in a fight on the edge of the train car. "I'm sorry for bothering you guys, I just wanted to check up on you and apologize for what happened."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Katara assured him with a smile as she put a hand on his shoulder, letting it linger just a little longer than necessary before continuing. "You were the only one who actually tried to help us."

Sokka nodded his agreement. "Yeah, no one's ever stood up for us before. I appreciate what you tried to do for us."

"We both do," Katara added as she looked at Aang once again, giving him a grateful smile. Without warning, she leaned up on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing him to blush deeply as she pulled away. "Thank you."

Sokka watched as this scene unfolded before him, an eyebrow raising in suspicion as he watched them look into each other's eyes. He could tell that something was happening here, but he also knew there really wasn't much that he could do about it even if he wanted to. His sister was an adult, and though he wanted to protect her, he had to let her figure things out on her own.

Deciding to ignore what he had witnessed, a thought occurred to him as he looked back to the young man who had defended them. "I just realized we don't know your name."

Eyes widening as he realized that he was right, Aang decided that it was time to properly introduce himself. "My name's Aang. Aang Thompson."

"I'm Sokka. Sokka Rivers," Sokka nodded to him, reaching a hand out for a handshake, which Aang shook firmly in response.

"And I'm Katara," his sister introduced herself with a smile, making him smile back at her for a few moments before he remembered that he was preventing them from getting sleep, once again making him feel guilty at his selfish planning.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you both, but I think I've kept you guys up long enough," he sighed a little, not being happy that he wouldn't be able to talk to her more, but knowing that he really shouldn't have attempted to find her in the first place. Not while they were sleeping, anyway.

Sokka's tired sigh seemed to prove his point, as Sokka nodded his agreement. "You're right. We should get back to sleep." Shaking his hand again, he continued. "Well, it was nice meeting you, and thank you again for standing up for us. Good luck in… whatever you're doing."

Laughing a little, Aang shook it back and replied. "Thank you. Good luck in whatever you're doing as well." Sokka cracked a grin at him before going back inside, leaving just Aang and Katara outside.

"Sorry again for… everything," Aang apologized sheepishly, referring both to two days ago and for waking them up and scaring them.

"Don't worry about it, Aang," she reassured him with a smile. "I'm glad that we got to see you again." The two stood in companionable silence for a few moments, seemingly content to just be near each other. After a few moments, Aang decided to ask a question that he had been wondering since he had been separated from her.

"May I ask where you and your brother are traveling to?"

"We're going to California," she answered him, making him smile as he heard this.

"Really? So am I!" he said with joy, making her laugh as she saw how happy this had made him. Forcing himself to calm down, he laughed nervously and said in a much quieter voice. "Well, maybe I'll see you both there."

"Maybe you will," Katara replied with a smile of her own, finding him more endearing by the moment. Looking back to see that her brother was waiting for her, she sighed and looked back at the young man in front of her. "Well, I should get back." Opening the door, she stopped and looked back at him. "I hope we can see you again."

Aang smiled as he heard this. "Me too," he agreed, making her smile once more as they looked into each other's eyes. After a few moments, Katara forced herself to focus and said to him.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he answered back, making her smile at him once more before she finally went in and closed the door behind her. Though he had not thought this whole thing through, he decided that it had been well worth it. He had been able to see and talk to her, even if he still felt rather bad that he had woken them up in the middle of the night because of his selfish desires.

Deciding to not dwell on this thought, he took one last look inside and saw that they were both back in their seats, but Katara appeared to have noticed him through the window as she gave him a smile and a wave. Smiling, he waved back to her before forcing himself to tear his eyes away and turning around, knowing that he had already been gone too long. Though he still felt it ridiculous that he had to sneak around just to be able to talk to another person, he was glad that he had taken a chance to talk to her more. More than that, he now knew that she also was traveling to California. He didn't know why she and her brother were going there, or if they would even get off at the same stop as him, but he hoped dearly that they would meet again.

Forcing these thoughts from his mind for the moment, he readied himself for one more jump and decided not to think about it, jumping almost immediately to the other side. Once again relieved that he had not slipped, he took one last look at the other car before carefully opening the door, hoping that no one had heard him.

Thankfully as he entered his car, no one seemed to have noticed his absence, as they were all still fast asleep. Letting out a sigh of relief, he carefully closed the door behind him and quietly made his way back to his seat, being relieved as no one appeared to have been awoken by his antics. Feeling satisfied with seeing her again and not having gotten hurt or in trouble, and more importantly learning that there was a good chance that he might get to see her again, he laid his head back into his seat and let out a sigh, finally able to be tired now that he had been able to talk to her again. Closing his eyes, his thoughts began to quiet as he slipped quickly into sleep.