Chapter 10: Gifts

AN: Here's to 10 chapters! I am falling in love with this story, and am just having so much fun writing it :) Thank you to anyone and everyone who takes the time to read it, once again you make my writing dreams come true!

This chapter is the final in-between chapter before the plot really starts to pick up. I really wanted to showcase Aang here. He's such a sweet guy, and I feel like that the show sometimes can give him a disservice in that category. So this chapter is a small ode to Aang. As always, I apologize for any errors, English is my second language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

A soft hum of content was all it took to wake Aang. As his eyes fluttered open, taking in the first rays of the rising sun, he was blessed with the sight of his companion snuggled into his shoulder, still asleep with a smile on her face. Smiling himself, he took a few moments to marvel at the waterbender's beauty, slowly running his fingers down her arm as he watched her sleep. Deciding that it was time that he finally got back to his discipline of meditating that had been slacking, he gently lifted her head off of his shoulder.

Moving as quiet as possible, he threw his Air Nomad robe on and was just about to head out the door when he heard rustling behind him. Turning around, he saw Katara stirring, rubbing her eyes as she tried to gather her surroundings. Aang quickly tiptoed back to her, laying her back down against the pillows. "Shhhh" he crooned in a whisper, "the suns just rising, go back to sleep." The waterbender quickly obliged, smiling as her head softly sank back into the pillow. Aang took the blanket and wrapped it around her, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving.

As he stepped outside the Jasmine Dragon, he took in the beauty that was Ba Sing Se in the midst of a sunrise. Feeling content and at peace with himself, he airbended himself up to the roof of the teashop so he wouldn't be disturbed, and quickly formed himself into the lotus position. As he slowly became one with the world, he took the time to process the events of the week prior, accepting the horrors of his depression at the Southern Air Temple, and smiling at his newfound gifts at Ba Sing Se.

It was still very hard to fathom to the Avatar that he and Katara were in a relationship. He didn't bother questioning anything though, as he was as happy as he possibly could be. Aang then took a moment to think of what was in store for the Gaang. In two days, Ba Sing Se was set to host the next peace meeting. There he would see the representatives of all nations gather again, including Hakoda from the Southern Water Tribe. Although he knew it was unnecessary, he still wanted to ask the Chief for permission to court his daughter, as he knew it aligned with Water Tribe customs.

The peace meetings also presented another problem for Aang. If everything went to plan, action committees would be formed, and he most likely would be asked to tag along with General Gun Ji and his militia. If peace was truly on its way to being achieved, it would mark the end of his adventures with the group that he now claimed as his family, and they would most likely split up. Toph going back to Gaoling to mend things with her parents, and Suki going to Kyoshi Island to return to her position as leader of the Kyoshi warriors.

Aang frowned as he thought of what would happen to the original trio. If he were to guess, Sokka and Katara would most likely head back home to the Southern Water Tribe with Hakoda. It was hard for Aang to even imagine what pain he would go through to be apart from Katara for so long, but he knew that he would not be the one to keep her apart from her true family and home.

He took a moment to let out a sarcastic laugh as he thought about his own future. Now that he had come and fulfilled his destiny, what was his future now? Would it be wrong for him to want to settle down somewhere with Katara and respond to the world when needed? Is he expected to just constantly travel around the world now, responding to every call? Ever since he had been rescued from the iceberg, it was clear what his goal would be and what he needed to do. But now . . . he felt so lost.

Lastly, he took the time to thank the spirits for his newfound powers that he found through the healing touch yesterday. While he only treated the basic injuries yesterday such as burns, cuts, and bruises, it still felt good to know that he could make a difference in a positive manner for others. I wonder if I can have Katara train me in healing? The airbender had more to ponder, but when he had opened his eyes the sun was fully shining in the sky, and he knew that the others were now most likely up and eating breakfast. Smiling, he hopped down and came to the entrance of the door, watching the group as they ate.

"Katara and I are going to head into the market today to gather some supplies since we're moving to where you all stayed when you were last time." Suki announced to the table. She then turned to Sokka, who was happily stuffing multiple pastries in his mouth. "We will need a third person to help carry the supplies back, would you want to come with?"

Sokka shook his head violently with his mouth full, causing him to slightly choke and let out a loud cough, causing Zuko and Toph to laugh at him. When he gained his composure, he finally faced the two ladies. "No offense to the two of you, but going out and shopping sounds so boring and trivial," he admonished. Katara glared at her brother before turning to Zuko and Toph.

"What about you two? Would one of you come and help us?" Her eyebrow raised as she finished her sentence, an expression of disgust overtaking her face as she stared at Toph pick her nose.

"Nah Sugar Queen, you gotta remember, I'm blind. All I would be doing is carrying things and that does not sound like fun." Toph responded. When the two girls turned to Zuko, he put his hands up and shook his head.

"Don't look at me, I would be made fun of for days. If people caught the Fire Lord out in the town serving two women, I would lose all respect." Zuko responded in a flustered tone. Katara rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"You're all right! The world will tear itself apart because a man is helping out two women!" She cried out in disbelief. Aang smiled and knew that this would be a good time to come in, and help keep the peace. Just as Zuko stood up and was about to shout something back, Aang announced his presence.

"Good morning everyone!" he let out with a cheery demeanor. Letting out one of his signature laughs, he addressed the room. "Started breakfast without me I see, what is it? It smells delicious!" Katara's tense demeanor instantly disappeared as she made her way over to her companion to greet him with a small hug.

"Morning, Aang. Suki and I made pastries for everybody this morning. We were up pretty early so we figured we could treat everybody." She beamed, her previous argument already forgotten. Aang smiled in response.

"Thank you, Suki and Katara. That was very kind of you. I'll take care of the dishes so you both can get some rest." He lightly commanded as he started to fill a plate with his own food. The two girls smiled in response, clearly content that somebody was willing to help out around there.

"Speaking of helping out . . ." Suki began, her voice slightly weary after their previous rejections. "Katara and I are heading to the market after breakfast to get some supplies since we're moving to the Avatar's home tomorrow. Care to join us?"

"I'd love to!" Aang happily replied before taking a bite from his pastry. He was met with elated faces from Suki and Katara while Toph and Sokka groaned and Zuko rolled his eyes. "Show off." Zuko grumbled. Aang chose to ignore it as he savored his breakfast, looking forward to being able to relax for the day. It wasn't something that they really got to do much when they were on their adventure, and he knew his duties would be picking back up. So, he chose to enjoy the moment.

Sokka, however, had other plans. He miraculously had stopped eating, and instead was spending his time glaring at Aang. The airbender didn't notice at first, but when he had looked up and made eye contact with the warrior, his face immediately gave off a questioning look. "So Aang . . ." Sokka growled. "Went to get you for breakfast this morning and noticed that your room was still empty. Care to explain?"

Aang's face dropped in response, but Katara stepped in and saved the day. "Why does it matter to you where Aang chooses to sleep, Sokka?" Her tone was thin, and her face was already exposing a flustered blush. Sokka raised a hand to his sister in response.

"This is a conversation between Aang and I, Katara." His voice still at a low growl. "The previous night made sense because you were comforting her, but there was no reason for you to be there last night. So why did you sleep with my sister?" His tone was accusatory, and Aang had never seen him so serious before.

"Because . . . it was comfortable?" Aang responded in a questioning tone, his voice going into a higher pitch at the end of the sentence. Sokka didn't respond, but narrowed his eyes and continued to glare at Aang. That's when Aang decided to stop playing nice. "Sokka!" He began, his voice exasperated. "She slept with me when I was sick, we slept together every night between the Southern Air Temple and Ba Sing Se because she was comforting me and you were there and saw how we acted. Nothing's changed!" Sokka stared back at him with wide eyes as Aang's last sentence was said with an angry tone. Aang realized he needed to center himself, so he took a deep breath.

"Sokka, I need you to trust me. You know that I would never do anything inappropriate to your sister. We just find it easier when we cuddle with each other to fall asleep! I know you and Suki sleep together every night too, I don't see how our situation is any different. All I want is for Katara to be happy, and I know that's your goal as well."

The warrior stared back for a few seconds, before his face softened. Taking a deep breath, he ran his fingers through his hair before responding. "I know Aang. . ." he sighed. "It's just . . . Katara's my little sister . . . and she's just so grown up now. I still feel like I need to protect her, but now you've kind of come in and taken that job from me." His voice faltered as he finished his last sentence, and his gaze went down to the table.

Aang's expression also softened in response. Putting a hand on Sokka's shoulder, he gave a gentle squeeze and responded in a comforting tone. "I know that you want to protect her, and while I have that same goal, I know that I can't ever replace you. Nor do I want to! I just want to make her happy." Sokka met Aang's eyes, and formed a smile as he gave him a curt nod. "Besides . . . if I ever disrespect Katara in that way, I give you my permission to beat me senseless."

As Sokka seemed to nod and give his permission, Aang stood up and began to gather some of the plates so he could do the dishes, as promised. As he finished, the two girls were waiting for him in the dining area, and he soon found himself back in the warm air of Ba Sing Se.

Katara was happy that Aang had chosen to come along with her and Suki. She knew that things would be picking up again for him, and she wanted to cherish every small moment that they had together. Besides, it was nice that the man with the highest social stature didn't find it offensive to go out and serve two women. Once again, Aang was treating her and Suki as equals, and it was one of the things she loved about him.

The trio's journey had just started as they made their way down the steps from the teashop and into the central courtyard of the city. The city was fairly busy already. People were bustling around, making their way towards the market, and children were scattered around the courtyard, their elated screams and shouts ringing through the air while they played. The group was suddenly stopped when a small girl came running towards them.

"Avatar, it's the Avatar!" the girl shouted. Katara recognized her as the little girl that Aang had healed yesterday. The girl ran forward and slammed into Aang, who had bent down to her level, with a hug. Aang let out a laugh as he returned the embrace. "Hey there, Cici! How are you feeling?"

The girl gasped and stared back at him with awe. "You remembered my name!" she squeaked, clearly awestruck. By now, a group of kids had gathered around her and Aang, all excitedly pointing and whispering to each other that the Avatar was in their presence. Cici tucked her hands behind her back and softly swayed back and forth. "I feel much better, because you healed me!"

Suki shot a questioning glance back in Katara's direction, which she smiled back and mouthed later in response. "Avatar Aang, will you play with us?" Cici asked sweetly. Katara felt her heart swooning for her companion as his eyes twinkled in response, before he tilted his head and looked back to her and Suki.

"I don't know . . ." he began, his voice resounding in a playful tone. "You'll have to ask these two ladies if that's okay. I'm out here with them on some important Avatar business." With that, he turned and winked at Katara and Suki, causing them to giggle in response. Katara looked down at Cici's bright emerald green eyes, and she couldn't resist the pleading look from the young girl.

"I guess it's okay." She playfully let out with a pretend sigh. "Don't wear him out too much though, he still has his duties to attend to afterwards!" Aang shot the two of them a grateful look, but then yelped in surprise as he was dragged into the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by children. Suki and Katara went and found a nearby bench as they began to watch, smiling at the joyous laughter coming from the airbender.

"So . . ." Suki began to pry with a gleam in her eye. "Now that you're together with Aang, is it everything you thought it would be?" Katara was about to respond, but then let out a laugh as she watched Aang running away from the kids, trying to evade and dodge them as they were playing a game of tag. Finally remembering the original question, she turned and smiled at Suki in response.

"Honestly, yes, it has been." She thoughtfully responded. "He's been extremely sweet to me and has been a tremendous help to me lately, but honestly, the best part is that he hasn't changed at all. He's still the sweet Aang I traveled the world with." Suki barked a small laugh in response.

"If there's one thing that I've learned about him, it's that he's not afraid to stick to his character." Suki rolled her eyes up to the sky, as if she was thinking of a past memory. "Like Ozai, for example. I thought it was admirable that he didn't want to kill him, no matter what the rest of the world thought." Katara nodded in agreement as they silently watched Aang. The game had suddenly switched from tag to pretend sword fighting. He was in a pretend duel with Cici when she suddenly struck him with her pretend sword, causing him to dramatically fall to the ground and pretend he was injured, sparking a laugh from his two observers.

"That's what I've always admired about him." Katara finally responded, confiding her own thoughts. "He has never let the world affect his decisions. One of the reasons I fell in love with him is that he treated me as an equal from the start. As you saw this morning, he still does." A smile crept across her face as she thought of how lucky she was to have Aang.

The Avatar however, was still very busy entertaining his entourage of children. He had whistled for Appa to come to him, and the children stared in awe at Aang's animal companion. Smiling, he let the children come forward, and he taught the children how to gently pet Appa, showing them his favorite places to be scratched. He then whispered something into the beast's ear, causing it to groan, but Appa then lay down and was used as a slide for the children to go off of.

Watching it all, Suki let out a laugh. Turning to Katara, she began to tease. "I thought it was touching too that he had no problem treating us as equals. I had to knock some sense into Sokka before he started to think that way, but he still has his moments." She ended that sentence with a snort. "Watching him though, do you ever wish that Aang acted more like a grown-up? I know how mature you are, I always wondered if that would be a problem for you.

Katara hummed in thought, pondering her statement, before finally settling into a smile. "Nah, that's part of who Aang is. Besides, with the amount of responsibility he has on his shoulders every day, I'm glad that he can let himself loose every once in a while." Then as she continued to sit in thought for a while, before her face turned into a blush. "Besides . . ." she confided, "watching him now, it just makes me think of how great of a father he'll be some day."

Suki almost beamed in response, before placing a hand on Katara's shoulder. "I'm happy for you two. You both were made for each other, I can tell." That caused Katara to beam in response, and Aang began to wrap up his session with the children. Teaching them to thank Appa by petting him in his favorite spots, he let the bison fly away and go get something to eat. The children all gathered around him, giving him a group hug, before he made his way back to Katara and Suki with a smile.

"Thanks for letting me spend some time with them," he said with a smile. "I really needed that as much as they did." The two girls smiled in response, before the trio headed back out to the market to gather their supplies. As the three shopped, the group got a lot of weird looks from outside observers, a lot of them seeming to question why the Avatar was following the girls around and carrying their things for them. Katara didn't mind though, as she knew that what she had was special. After a couple of hours, Suki and Katara had everything they needed, and they began to make their way back to the tea shop, when suddenly Aang stopped them.

"Do you both mind if I stop here really quickly?" He asked, pointing to a fabric shop next to him. He was met with quizzical looks from them, and he chuckled in response. "Cici really loves Appa, and to be honest she's made an impact on me. I don't know why, but the way she acts is how I would want my future daughter to be." This statement was said while looking at Katara, causing both of them to blush. "Anyways . . ." he continued, "I figured I could make her a stuffed animal of Appa to give her since we would be leaving this area tomorrow."

Once again, Katara's heart warmed in response, and the two happily joined them in the store, as he picked out the proper threads and picked out two beads to serve as Appa's eyes. While he was searching, Suki whispered to Katara. "I didn't know he could sow!" This caused Katara to beam in response, she was so proud of her companion.

"He makes excellent jewelry too." She stated with a grin. At last, the Avatar had all of the supplies he needed, and the trio made their way back to the Jasmine Dragon. Aang helped them put all of the things away, and the trio was admittedly exhausted from their journey. Katara frowned as she took a peek outside. The sun was already starting to work its way down. "We need to make dinner," she instructed Suki with a sigh. When the Kyoshi warrior responded with her own groan, Aang decided to pipe in.

"I can make dinner!" he happily offered. The two girls stared back at him with shock, as if they never heard a male offer to make dinner before.

"Are you sure, Aang?" Katara began, she was trying to hide her admiration but her voice still clearly conveyed it. "It's not a big deal, we both can make it." This was only met with a soft smile from Aang as he conveyed a look of empathy to the two girls.

"I'm positive. Besides, you two have worked hard these past couple of days, you deserve a rest. I'll be happy to make dinner for everyone." The two ladies happily obliged as they went out to the living room to relax, and Aang spent the next two hours cooking and preparing a meal for the group. By the time dinner was ready, everyone was starving, and they were treated to a feast.

Aang treated them to a mix of dishes from all four nations. From the fire nation, he had made dumplings and fire cakes. He made sea prune stew and seaweed noodles from the water tribe, and made dried sweet potato from the Earth Kingdom. Lastly, for dessert, he made his fruit pies from the Air Nation, which the group had heavily enjoyed from their first time trying it in the Southern Air Temple. "Since this was our last meal together with Iroh, I wanted to treat everyone to a celebratory feast." He proudly stated, but his smile turned slightly sad towards the end of the statement.

"Aang, all this food tastes amazing! Where did you learn to cook like that?" Aang had cooked for the group before, but he always had done simple dishes such as rice. Aang once again took on a sad smile, remembering his former nation.

"Every week or so we would have cooking lessons from the chefs in the kitchen. Since Air Nomads often traveled and stayed at people's places, we loved to cook for them in thanks for their hospitality. Because of that, we learned all sorts of dishes from each nation. I personally love cooking, so I became good at it I guess." His face flushed in an embarrassed tone while he scratched the back of his head.

The rest of the night was spent in laughter, as the group enjoyed their company and food. Zuko would be staying with Iroh at the teashop, which would be opening back up to the public again tomorrow. The rest of the group planned to move back to where they had originally stayed in Ba Sing Se, as they prepared for the peace meeting the following day after.

Finally, night had come, and everyone had returned to their bedrooms to drift off to sleep. Aang and Katara however were still awake. Aang had his back supported against the back of the bed with his legs apart, while Katara laid comfortably against his back, in between his legs. She was absentmindedly tracing the arrows on his body while he was working on sowing the Appa stuffed animal together.

"You know Aang . . ." Katara hummed in content, "looking back on today . . . it reminds me how lucky of a girl I am." Although she couldn't see his face at the moment, she could feel the warmth glow from his body as he blushed.

"Hmmmm? How so?" He questioned. The stuffed Appa was really starting to come together, he had the base of the animal and the eyes in, he just had to finish sowing the blue arrow into its fur.

"You're just . . . you." She finally landed on her explanation. "The only guy who would be willing to go and help ladies in public, cleaning up the dishes after breakfast. Not to mention that I loved watching you play with the children." She reached up with one of her hands and gently cupped his face. "It makes me think about how great of a father you will be one day."

Aang had stopped sowing for a moment and just stared back into Katara's ocean blue eyes. A blush had formed over his face, but he was clearly touched by her words. "Katara . . ." his voice full of affection, "you don't know how much that means to me." The corners of his eyes began to fill with tears, and she gently wiped them away as he put the final touches on Appa.

"Not to mention . . ." she continued, a light sultry tone in her voice. "You thinking of this gift for Cici, and then letting Suki and I rest and cooking us all that wonderful meal? I don't even think I could cook that well. It just reminds me of how wonderful of a person you are. More importantly, how lucky I am to have you."

At last, the stuffed version of Appa was finished, and the two admired it quickly before he put it away in the pockets of his robes. Katara had now turned towards him, and he quickly brought her in for a tight hug. "I would do all of that again, every single day, Katara. I didn't mind doing any of it, and to know that it means so much to you . . . makes me want to do every single one of those things every day, just so I can make you happy. Besides, Cici wasn't the only one I made a gift for today. . ." A grin then sported his face as she looked at him with a quizzical expression.

As he pulled something out of his pocket, she gasped. In his hand was a blue bracelet, with a soft blue fabric that matched the same color of her mother's necklace. At the center of the bracelet was a stone, engraved with the Water Tribe Symbol beautifully etched into its surface. As she turned the stone over, a text so small that she had to squint to read it was engraved on the back. "Forever letting love lead the way." Pulling out from his other pocket, she saw he had made one for himself, but this time sporting an orange gem with the Air Nation symbol on it, and it had the same engravings on the back.

"Aang . . ." she gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "They're . . . beautiful!" They smiled as they put the bracelets on each other, her wearing the symbol of the Water Tribe, and him the Air Nation, but they forever had a trinket to mark their new start in life. Katara leaned in, passionately kissing him on the lips, displaying all the love and affection she had held for him that day. He happily returned it with equal passion, both never wanting the kiss to end.

But all good things must come to an end, and as they both yawned and settled into each other's arms, sleep quickly took over them. It was the end to a perfect day, and peace had finally come to the perfect couple. Both of them had smiles etched across their faces as they fell into a deep slumber, and it stayed that way for the rest of the night, until they would be suddenly woken to the smell of burning and the sounds of screaming from the courtyard outside.