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Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

Chapter 2: Ba Sing Se

We stayed over night at the Fire Nation with the plan to fly out first thing in the morning. At sunrise we all piled onto Appa's saddle, joined by the new Fire Lord and Mai. It was strange seeing Mai sitting in the saddle, cuddled close to Zuko. About a month ago she wouldn't hesitate to throw a knife at us yet, here we were, flying to the Earth Kingdom together to celebrate the end of the war. Zuko trusted her and I grew comfort in the fact that if she tried anything she would be outnumbered.

The air was cool and the breeze from flying was refreshing after being stuck in the Fire Nation for a few days. Between the heat and being stifled by politics it was good to leave. The sun was just rising over the clouds as Aang held onto the reins as the rest of us sat in the saddle. Zuko spoke of the meetings with the Fire Sages and his goals for Peace.

As Zuko spoke I found my mind wandering to the night of the Ember Island Play. I glanced up at Aang who occasionally added his thoughts to the discussion. I felt a sense of uneasiness wash over me. I wanted to apologize to Aang. We hadn't spoken about that night or the day of the Invasion...and the kiss...since. He deserved better. I wanted to fix my mistakes. I wanted to make things right.

"What do you think, Katara?" Sokka asked. I looked up, the group all staring at me.

"Oh...sorry." I stammered, nervously fidgeting with my hair.

"Is everything okay?" Suki asked.

"Yeah just thinking about how wrong that ridiculous play was." I said, chuckling nervously. Well, it wasn't a complete lie.

"Yeah that was awful." Zuko agreed.

"The Ember Island Players? They are always terrible." Mail groaned.

"It wasn't that bad!" Sokka chimed in, shrugging. "Well, besides the jokes...but I fixed that!"

"And the ending!" Suki said, slapping Sokka's shoulder who shrugged in response.

I took a peek at Aang who hadn't turned around to join the conversation. I felt a pit in my stomach as I made a promise to myself. Was it nerves or general uneasiness? The next moment we get, we will talk.

You could see the impressive Wall in the distance as we got closer to Ba Sing Se. I shuddered thinking about the last time we saw that Wall. I had held Aang's lifeless body as we flew away. I shook my head, pushing the memories away.

"Uncle said we can stay at his Tea Shop before the celebrations" Zuko said.

"That is so nice of him" I replied, trying to bring my thoughts back to the present.

"I'm just glad he got his shop back" Toph chimed in "I know how much it meant to him."

"It looks like your Uncle did a pretty good job taking care of those Fire Nation Soldiers." Sokka said peering over the saddle. Sokka looked at Mai "No offense."

"None taken." Mai shrugged. "I am glad it's over." She said, resting her head on Zuko's shoulder.

As we flew over the city you could see Fire Nation Tanks flipped and piled in the streets. People swept and picked up rubble that blocked walkways. It was surreal that it was actually over, it still felt like any moment now I would wake up from this dream.

Appa landed in front of the Jasmin Dragon with a groan as Iroh stepped out to meet us. I could hear Aang praising Appa's quick flying to get us here in time.

"Thank you for having us" Zuko said, hugging Iroh.

"Anything for the new Fire Lord, the Avatar and their friends" Iroh said with a belly laugh. "You are always welcome to share a cup of tea with me!"

We bowed in respect to the man who truly helped us turn the tides in the war. He had done so much and I could never thank him enough for how he helped me escape with Aang during that battle in the Catacombs. Every second counted and helped bring him back to us...to me.

We walked into the shop which had since been cleaned up and decorated. There were numerous tables placed throughout the shop and a beautiful balcony you could walk out to. "Oh and the Earth King has sent gifts for the celebrations tonight" Iroh said, motioning to one of the rooms that lined the back of the tea shop.

I stepped inside the spare bedroom that Iroh motioned to and noticed clothes lay out across the bed. Each item was labeled with our names. I picked up the dress which lay under the card with my name. It was a long green dress with flowing sleeves and intricate designs throughout. Wow, the Earth King is really going all out, I thought.

I shut the door to quickly change while everyone else got settled in. I could hear mumblings outside as the group greeted Iroh. A mirror in the corner of the room caught my eye. Looking at my reflection I couldn't help but see how much I had changed. I looked older. I certainly felt older. I wasn't the same girl who left her home for the first time those many months ago.

I adjusted the dress on me, its soft fabric fit perfectly. I felt good to get changed. I ran my fingers through my hair to adjust it as a soft knock took my attention.

"Come in" I answered.

The door cracked open and Aang peaked inside. He held his hands behind his back.

"Wow, you look beautiful" He said breathlessly.

I felt a blush creep across my face. "Thank you." A smile escaped my lips.

He pulled out a beautiful pink flower from behind his back and held it out to me "I saw this and thought of you." He said with a gleam in his eyes.

"Oh, that is beautiful, thank you!" I took the bright pink flower in my hands and studied it for a minute before turning back to the mirror to place it in my hair. As I looked at my reflection in the mirror I could see him standing behind me, our eyes locked before he quickly looked away. I turned back around to face him. The room was quiet. My eyes shifted to the floor as I awkwardly fiddled with the sleeves on my dress. I took a breath, gathering courage. This is your moment.

"I'm sorry." We both blurted out simultaneously.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked, letting out a breath and releasing some of the tension I was holding inside.

He took a breath steadying himself. "At the play, I pushed you. You said you were confused but I didn't listen. I was an idiot. I'm so sorry" He said clasping his hands together, almost pleading.

"Oh Aang, I am sorry! I should have told you everything I was feeling. Instead I pushed you away. After the Invasion, everything was so crazy and then the comet-I was so scared." My words tumbled out on top of each other.

"What do you mean?" He asked, a puzzled look flashing across his face.

"I was scared. If I admitted how I felt...how I feel...I-I didn't want to lose you. I couldn't hurt like that again." I stammered over my words trying to make sense of everything that was going on in my head. Was I actually admitting my feelings or was I just confusing him further?

His eyes widened "How you feel?" He asked, cautiously. I could see how he was treading lightly.

Without thinking I took a step forward and placed a my hand on his. He looked up at me, and our eyes locked. I melted into his gaze. Our fingers intertwined and he moved closer. My heart skipped and I leaned closer, our lips inches from eachother.

"Now what gifts did they give me?" Sokka's voice brought me back to reality as we both jumped away from eachother.

Sokka entered the room using his crutch to balance himself. "Ugh, clothes! I was hoping for a platter of food" He groaned and grabbed his gift from the Earth King. "What's up with you guys?" He asked, finally turning his attention to us.

"N-Nothing" Aang stammered, putting his hands up in defense, his face flushed

I tried to hide a blush that burned my cheeks. "Just talking." I said trying so hard to sound calm.

Sokka raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. I let out a breath as I left the room. Toph stood against the wall outside the doorway, arms crossed, chuckling to herself. I decided not to engage. It would be easier that way.