Aang's Narrative

Dawn. It was one of my favorite times of the day, when the world was
shaking off the withering lassitude of its nocturnal repose and
awakening to the spring of a new day. We'd been back in Ember Island
for several days now and today marked the eve of Zuko's banquet.
Several of our friends, including Teo, Duke, Smellerbee, Longshot, and
Pipsqueak, had arrived a day after our return from the Bei Fongs. It
had generally been good times since then, for it was rare for so many
of us to be gathered in one place, and particularly so for the pursuit
of pleasure.

With a full house, and barely any chance for solitude, it'd become a
habit of mine to slip away to the beach before most was up. Today, I'd
risen ere the first hint of light was scarcely noticeable over the
hills that outlined the eastern panorama. I liked to walk along the
beach until I came to an inlet, where a clear stream ebbed from the
hidden foliage of the surrounding knolls to meet the sea; I'd cross
here until I came to the other side, where I'd sit and allow the
gentle, lulling melody of the waves to transport me, mentally, from
the cares of this world to the peaceful center of my spirituality.

"Hey!"

I slowly opened my eyes to find Horonka wading through the shallow
waters of the inlet to emerge where I was sitting, cross-legged upon
the sand. "Hey."

"Do you mind?" he asked, before copping a squat on the sand. "So,
what's been going on with you? You seem a bit," he examined my face
carefully, "a bit aloof, lately…not yourself."

"I just have a lot on my mind right now," I told him, as I watched a
lonely seagull swoop down from its stealthy reconnaissance of the sea
to seize its prey. "That's all."

"I see," he said, at length. "Has this anything to do with your friend
from the Water Tribe?" I anxiously glanced at him. I'd been very
careful, these past few days, to keep my emotions in check. "Don't
look at me as though I've unearthed some deep, dark secret? It's
pretty clear, to me at least, that you admire her a great deal. I've
never seen you look at another in that way." When I didn't answer, and
if reading my thoughts, he gravely added, in his usual phlegmatic way,
"Don't worry; being more familiar with you as you are now, better than
they, I think I can safely say that I have something of an advantage."
I followed his gaze o'er the far stretching, undulating sea. "I assure
you, your secret is safe with me." I didn't doubt that. "Listen Aang,
I don't mean to pry, and you can certainly tell me to mind my own
business, but I get the impression that there's a lot of history here."

I wasn't sure if I was ready to part with my secret; for so long now
I'd borne it; for so long now I'd guarded it; for so long now I'd
endured it, all on my own. I also had this notion, however ridiculous
it might seem, that once it stayed within my breast, untainted by open
scrutiny, it would somehow remain sacred to me.

"You know, I've never told you this before," I heard Horonka saying,
"but there's someone special that I left behind in the North Pole.
Before I left, I'd even planned on giving her that betrothal necklace
that I made; you remember the one?" I did. "Oddly, something held me
back. It wasn't that I had any reservations about my regard for her.
I'd known her long enough to be comfortable with my own feelings." His
eyes were downcast and his brow furrowed. "I don't know; perhaps, in
the end, I felt that it would be unfair to have her wait for me until
I returned. I mean, wouldn't it be something if after all this time
I've been away, I return home to find her more faithful and committed
to me than ever before? I would've proven her to find that her heart
is worth more than gold." He picked up a pebble and began to smooth it
between his index and thumb fingers. "The problem is, more and more I
find myself thinking less of her and distracted by another," he
declared with a fleeting wonder.

"Almost from the beginning, I've loved Katara," I heard myself
divulging. "I've loved her unlike I've loved any other in this present
world." Once I'd admitted that aloud, I found that it was easy for me
to continue; I began to recount our history, as objectively as I
could, from her finding me in the iceberg to the time of our last
parting. When I had finished, Horonka and I sat silently for a time,
absorbed in our own thoughts.

"What are you going to do?" asked Horonka, eventually. "I mean, it's
obvious that you still love her."

"What can I do?" I replied, dejectedly. "I can't make her love me, and
I certainly won't try." I scooped up the grey sand and sifted it
through my fingers. "The best I can do is hope that one day I'll
ultimately conquer this feeling."

Horonka shook his head. "Aang, I've seen the way she looks at you. Are
you sure she doesn't feel the same way?"

"It means nothing," I told him, I confess, with a reminiscent touch of
sadness. Hadn't I learnt the same thing in this very place five years
before?

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," he submitted. I'd spared nothing in the tale of
our story; he knew it all. "I guess in your place, I would've been
baffled too; so much for actions speaking louder than words." He
shrugged. "But seriously, do you really think that she thinks of you
as a…a brother?" he said with a perplexed expression. "Man, that's tough."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "But, it was my fault to have expected any
more from her than she was willing to give. I bear the blame." I
rubbed my palms together to brush off the sand. "Oh, the wisdom of
hindsight; I'm glad, at least, that we're still friends."

"Girls," said Horonka, shaking his head, "I don't imagine that we'll
ever understand them."

"So, who's this girl that you were referring to earlier? You know…the
one who has you distracted."

"Whom do you think?" asked he, evasively.

"You can't mean…," I said thoughtfully, after deliberating for a time,
"…do you mean?" My eyes widened and he shook his head. I couldn't help
smiling. "Who would've thought that…," I said, vacillating between
wonder and disbelief, "yes?"

He nodded. "I know," said he. "I astonish myself."

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, feeling a little stupid after I'd
spoken these words. Since when had he ever been unsure about anything,
especially regarding his own sentiments? I'd always known him to be
confident in his opinions.

He didn't immediately answer, however. "I've been wrestling with this
for some time now. I think I can safely say that it's certain...that
it's real." He shook his head. "Whether it will work and whether
she'll return my feelings, I don't know. But really, she's such a
spoilt brat."

"Ah, come on, she's not that bad." He looked at me with a raised brow.
"Okay, maybe she is to some extent, but she's one of your best
friends; that has to mean something."

"Well, yeah, I'll acknowledge that," he said, "but we argue so much.
Can you imagine what it would be like for me to spend the rest of my
life with someone like her? I'd have no peace. It's probably better
that we remain as we are and nothing more."

"If you ask me, I think you're exaggerating her, -how should I put it-
her fire," I countered. "Man, we've got to stop falling for our
friends," I grinned.

"Oh, you think it's funny?" I chuckled. "In any case, I think we're
getting ahead of ourselves. Who knows, maybe she might not even like
me in," he looked at me, "that way."

"What about your friend back home?"

He picked up a small stone, aimed it, and then threw it into the sea
where it bounced upon the water three times before it vanished with
the tide. "I'm not sure. I haven't entirely figured that one out." He
rose and brushed his shorts free of sand. "I didn't promise her
anything, though, I suppose, it doesn't exonerate me from any guilt
for my part in inspiring her to love me, which, I believe she does."

"So, how come I've never met her?" I asked in my curiosity.

"You did," he replied. "Only, you most likely wouldn't remember it
since my uncle had you wrapped up in his political talk.

"And afterward?"

"Bad timing?"

"Oh, I see; it was fated that we should never meet," I chortled, as I
picked up my glider and tossed it into the air. Horonka wasted little
time in diving into the sea before I'd grabbed a hold of my glider and
began to air-bend the currents around its wings. Carefully, I swung
atop the slender stem and began to air surf. Below, I could see
Horonka surfing on the waves as he water-bended them higher.

"Need some help?" I yelled.

"Don't get cocky now?" he shouted.

I laughed. "To the cliffs?" I challenged.

"You're on," he cried, as I began to bend the air currents more
aggressively around my glider.

--

Katara's narrative

I'd awoken to several firm knocks on the door of my bedchamber. "Who
is it?" I asked as I slipped from the covers and swung my feet to the
floor.

"It's me," the voice beyond the door answered.

I drew my robe around my nightgown and went to the door. "Hey Toph," I
said, leaning on the door and shading my eyes from the brightness that
flowed into the room.

"Jeez! Did you plan on getting up today?"

"Well, I'm up aren't I?" I said disagreeably.

"It looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,"
Toph flatly observed, as she entered, without invitation, into the room.

"No, I'm just tired," I replied, mildly indignant, as I closed the
door behind me.

"Well, it's already past noon," she informed me, as she plopped down
into the lounge chair, which was adjacent to the bed, and proceeded to
stretch her feet across its length.

"What! You can't be serious," I said, striding to the windows to pull
open the red drapes to reveal an iridescent sun at its zenith.

"Trouble sleeping again?" Toph smugly asked, as she relaxed her head
on the arm of the chair.

"Uh, Toph, why exactly are you here?" I patiently asked; seriously,
she was getting on my nerves, and that in itself was a bad sign. It's
like she took some kind of perverse pleasure in taunting me.

"Okay, here's the deal," said she, springing upright. "I wanted to ask
you a favor."

"Yes?" I pressed, after she appeared reluctant.

"About Zuko's banquet tomorrow, I wanted you to help me choose
something to wear." Was she actually fidgeting? "I mean, I have two
dresses that I brought from home, but you know…I just…I don't know, I
just want to look like everyone else does tomorrow."

"Well," I said, softening, knowing the courage it must have cost her
to make this request, "Tell you what, Toph, as soon as I'm finished
getting ready, I'll come around to your room to have a look at your
dresses."

"Really! Thanks a lot, Sweetness!" She headed for the door but stopped
short of it. "Hey, why were you up pacing last night?"

"H...how did…," I began to asked, "…never mind. Shut the door behind you."

We ended up having to go shopping, which turned out to be fun; it also
helped me to get my mind off my own self and do a good deed for a dear
friend.

"Must I really?" asked Toph, worriedly; her demeanor magnified her
blatant distrust. We'd returned to the beach house around late
afternoon, and I was looking over the stuff that we'd purchased for
ourselves.

"Yes."

"Are you sure it'll look good?" she asked, skeptically.

"I promise."

"But I'm so used to them covering my eyes," complained Toph.

"Okay, this is what we'll do," I consoled. "Sleep on it tonight; if
tomorrow you're still uncomfortable with the idea, we'll leave it
alone. I just thought a slight, even trim would be nice. It's your
decision, Toph. I won't pressure you."

"Thanks, Katara."

"I don't think I've ever seen you get this worked up about your
appearance before. I have to confess that I was kind of astonished by
your request. Not to say that there's anything wrong with you wanting
to look nice, though. I think it's great that you show an interest."

"What, are you like my mother again?"

"You don't have to get so touchy about it," I calmly replied; she was
really testing my patience. "I didn't mean it in a condescending way,
if that's what you're implying." I picked up my stuff off of her
chair. "I'm going to put these away. Are you coming down to the beach
with me?"

"No, I don't feel like it right now," she said dismissively. "Maybe
later."

Ugh, that Toph. She had an insane knack for driving me up the wall.
The thing is, every time I felt that our friendship was getting
better, something like this almost always happened to keep that
thought in check. Okay, I really needed to calm down. I thought of
joining Mai and Suki, who were out on the porch playing a game of Pai
Sho, but quickly abandoned that idea. At the moment, a walk seemed
more appealing; I needed to clear my head. From the window, the long
stretch of beach offered an enticing prospect, and in fifteen minutes,
I was soaking my feet in the cool, blue waters of the bay.

I was walking aimlessly, distracted by my thoughts, when I realized
that I was standing immediately before the pier. I looked up, and with
my hand deterring the sun's rays from impairing my view, I perceived a
lonely figure sitting at the sea-ward edge of the pier. It was Aang.
For a couple seconds, I hesitated, arrested in indecision, before
resolving to climb the small, sandy incline to the wooden pier. He
must've had a lot on his mind, because he wasn't aware of my approach
until I was standing beside him.

"Katara!"

Maybe it was my imagination, but when he'd turned to look up at me, I
swore I saw a faint frown on his face. For a moment or so, I stood
uncomfortably before decidedly shaking off my pride, which was urging
me to make an excuse to leave because of his lukewarm reception.
Fortunately, my better sense prevailed. "May I?" I asked.

"Sure," he said, and scooted over to make room for me where he was
sitting on the pier's edge with his feet dangling in the water. "I
heard that you and Toph went shopping; did you guys find what you needed?"

"Yeah." I looked at him. "Why are you smiling?"

"Oh, nothing," said he, obviously still amused. "I can't believe it's
been a week already. Before we realize it, we'll be…well, no matter."

"You meant we'll be separating soon," I partly whispered. I felt his
eyes upon me, but he didn't speak. "I've missed you, Aang." I caught
his grey eyes. "I miss my best friend." My eyes fell. "We've hardly
had a moment to speak…alone."

"I know," he replied, quietly and somberly. "But we're here now."

"Yes," I agreed, smiling slowly, "we are." I was reminded of the old
Aang, which over these past few days, I rarely saw. "So what did you
do today? Is your business with Zuko finished?"

"Not quite," he solemnly answered.

"Want to talk about it?"

"If you don't mind, I think I'll pass."

I did. Once upon a time, with a little prodding, I used to be able to
get him to open up. Now, with him so changed, I couldn't flatter
myself that I had the same influence. From all that I'd heard and all
that I'd seen for my own self, in his own right, he'd become an
admirable leader. Moreover, I'd heard the report of his diplomatic
success with the nations, and the respect that he'd earned through his
sound decisions. Through compassion and grace, he'd won the hearts of
the peoples; through reason and perseverance, he'd earned the esteem
of their leaders; through commitment and loyalty, he'd rallied the
efforts of his team. "That bad?"

"It could be worse, I guess," was all he'd say.

"What happened to us, Aang? Everything is so different."

He looked down at me. "I'd hardly expect us to be the same, Katara.
Four years is a long time. You've grown and changed, and so have I."

"Yes, I know, but I guess I've always assumed that our friendship
would remain the same."

"But it hasn't changed, Katara," he insisted. "Believe me when I say
that my regard…my esteem…for you, as my best friend, is unchanged.
You've been so much to me and still more." A grave expression
blanketed his face. "Nothing or no one can change that."

With this admission, my heart had quickened. In truth, I'd been
wondering, for some time now, about his feelings toward me. Had they
truly waned? It'd been quite possible that he'd outgrown them and from
his behavior and his words, I was inclined to believe he had. I felt a
real sense of regret when this sunk in. "No one?"

"No one," he guaranteed.

"What if…what if one day one of us were to marry?" I timorously suggested.

"Katara, my friendship is unconditional. No matter where our paths
lead, you'll always have it; you can depend upon that."

It was lovely of him to reassure me, but I was still dissatisfied; I
was disappointed that his more tender feelings for me had passed. Over
the years, they'd grown dearer to me than even he could've imagined.
Now, to think that I'd sacrificed them…that they were entirely lost to
me, was too much to settle. I felt bereft of the modest hope to which
I'd clung and in which, during our time apart, I'd frequently taken
solace.

He brought his left hand to lightly cover my right hand, where it lay
splayed on one of the wooden planks of the pier. "And just so you
know, I've missed you too," he gently disclosed.