Compromise

"Compromise, if not the spice of life, is its solidity. It is what makes nations great and marriages happy"

― Phyllis McGinley

A/N: The world needs more Kataang. So enjoy!

PS: You can find the comic of this story at my account at deviantART! Same username and everything, so should be easy to find.

Katara hummed as she moved through the stances of a very familiar waterbending form, completely in peace as she felt the water shimmering with energy beneath her fingertips. She breathed in deeply through her nose, keenly aware as the water shifted to and fro, back and forth, under her control but at the same time free and natural and fluid. There was harmony. There was peace. She was lost in a dance with her natural element, calm and content, with gentle sunlight warming her face and the kiss of the wind brushing chastely against her cheeks.

A distance away from her, however, she suddenly heard the sound of giggles and hushed voices. Katara didn't lose her focus but she did acknowledge the new presences—the girlish tones identified them as the Air Acolytes that by now she was used to. She didn't know them all by name (try as she might, there were some people that she just couldn't connect with on a personal level—and the number of acolytes just grew each day) and she didn't recognise this pair, but since they had been granted permission to come to the Eastern Air Temple, she wasn't overly suspicious. It was hard to get here without the aid of a sky bison after all.

'Still,' Katara thought, slightly irritated with the unintentional interruption, 'couldn't they continue their conversation somewhere else?' She envied Aang's trained ability to cut himself off from the world and become completely oblivious to distractions. Well, maybe not completely. Her lips quirked upwards at the numerous times she'd proven that he couldn't entirely ignore everything. At the multiple memories of his surprised and flustered face, Katara couldn't help but release a soft laugh, her hands stilling as she was distracted by her own nostalgia.

Lost in her memories, she let the stream of water she had been bending drop slightly, which wasn't unnoticed by the two Air Acolytes who were passing through. Their eyes widened as they finally noticed the waterbender in the natural stream running through the mountain and pooling until it continued downwards to disappear in between the trees. Katara was well-known to everyone—regardless of whether there was an actual meeting—because she was a hero in her own right, and because she was one of the most important people to the Avatar. She was usually seen near water, mostly on her own or with the animals, and she always seemed to prefer being alone, which the Air Acolytes respected. Many of the acolytes viewed her with great respect and awe; she was like a water nymph, mysterious and beautiful, and yet so kind and gentle and strong whenever she did speak.

When Katara dropped her hands, the passing two girls immediately blamed themselves. "Oh!" Startled by the exclamation, Katara was jarred out of her thoughts and she finally looked at the two. The acolytes were bowing to her, flustered and nervous. "We're so sorry, Master Katara!" one of them cried. "We didn't mean to disturb you!"

More amused than irritated now, Katara gently coaxed the stream of water back into the pool and replied, "No, no, you didn't disturb me at all!" She gave the girls a welcoming smile. "I was just thinking of something. Completely unrelated." When the two girls still looked a tad guilty and fidgeted with their yellow and orange uniforms, Katara decided to ease the tension by asking lightly, "You know my name—but I'm afraid I don't know yours. Are you two new?"

"Kind of," the shorter one said, a little bashful. "We joined just last month. I'm Penelope, and this is my good friend Ogi. We came here together."

The other, dark-haired girl nodded eagerly. "We've been fascinated with Air Nomad culture ever since we could remember! It's such an honour to be learning more about it directly from Avatar Aang!"

Katara couldn't help but genuinely smile at their enthusiasm. "That's great!" she enthused. "It's very nice to meet you two. Earlier, I did hear giggling at some point. Was that you two? You sounded very happy."

The effects of her words were almost instantaneous: Penelope flushed crimson while Ogi smirked wickedly at her. "O-Oh! Y-You heard that?" asked Penelope, her eyes glancing from side to side in a panic. "T-That was, I mean—"

"It's such excellent news, Master Katara!" the other squealed, grabbing her friend around her shoulders and hugging her close. "Penelope has found her soul mate!"

"Soul mate?" Katara repeated, extremely interested and warming up to these two acolytes very quickly.

"She's being ridiculous!" Penelope cried, trying to struggle out of the death grip her friend had around her without success. "We're just—I mean, we only just met, so—"

"She's just being shy," Ogi teased, pinching her cheeks. "When we travelled here, we passed through this village and visited this fortune teller. We just had to take a reading, and when Penelope had hers, Aunt Wu—that's the fortune teller—said that she'd meet her soul mate in the Eastern Air Temple!"

"And that he was going to sweep me off my feet," Penelope said softly, unable to stop herself from getting excited. The blush staining her cheeks was so endearing.

"And it turns out that Aunt Wu meant it literally!" Ogi cried, laughing loudly. "He's another Air Acolyte as well and when his paper flew away, he knocked into Penelope chasing it and they just crashed to the ground. Boom! And then he just blurted out how beautiful my friend here was and"—her sentence was interrupted by an excited squeal—"I called it! That guy is the soul mate Aunt Wu was talking about!"

"Ogi!" Penelope whined, her face so red that Katara had to restrain herself from laughing out loud as well. "You just love to embarrass me, don't you? S-Sorry, Master Katara! We didn't mean to bother you with something silly like this."

"Oh, it's no bother at all!" Katara quickly assured, a wide grin stretched across her face. "I think it's wonderful! I know Aunt Wu and I believe that she knows what she's talking about. I'm really, really happy for you!"

While Penelope continued to blush, Ogi stared at Katara with newfound interest. "You know Aunt Wu? You've had your future told as well?" she asked excitedly. She released her friend to cross the distance between them, boldly grabbing Katara's hands in her eager enthusiasm. "What did she say? Oh, she must have told you about your soul mate too!"

At the sudden attention, Katara couldn't help but blush slightly. The memory of her obsession with Aunt Wu's predictions back in the day was slightly embarrassing for her, but those were fond memories nevertheless (disregarding the near destruction of the village by the active volcano, anyway). She chuckled lightly and said, "Oh, well, I definitely did ask about my love life." She confessed this softly, still slightly embarrassed about the topic in general, but she was oddly comfortable with these two girls. Their openness and sincerity reminded her of Aang.

Penelope was just as intrigued as her friend and walked closer, peeking at her from behind Ogi. "What did she say?" she asked, her eyes wide and curious. There was hope there too, small and fragile. "Did it… come true?"

Immediately, Katara revisited the words that were like old friends to her. They had plagued her mind for weeks after she first heard them and they still popped up from time to time long after the fact. She recalled them now and smiled softly. "Well, it hasn't come true yet. She told me that I would marry a very powerful bender."

When the last word left her mouth, it seemed like a trigger. Penelope and Ogi's eyes brightened like stars and Katara resisted the urge to back away. "… A very powerful bender," Penelope breathed. Then the friends shared a conspiratorial glance before pinning their highly intense gazes back onto Katara.

"That's Avatar Aang, isn't it?" Ogi demanded bluntly.

"A very powerful bender…" Penelope repeated, in a daze.

"You're going to get married to Avatar Aang!" Ogi seemed awestruck, gazing at Katara with newfound admiration and worship. "Wow!"

Katara turned as red as a tomato and hastily pulled her hands away, waving them in front of her and shaking her head. "W-Well, nothing's decided yet! I mean—we've only been together for a few years, and he's got his duties and he's really busy and I—"

"You guys are soul mates…" Penelope continued, lost in her own world, completely enthralled with the romanticisms of it all.

The words caused Katara's heart to flutter despite herself and she opened her mouth to make an embarrassed remark—perhaps to half-heartedly deny such a thing—but then she noticed how Ogi stiffened in reaction to her friend's words. Katara stared at her in surprise as the girl looked quickly away; her excitement seemed to seep out of her like water down a drain. Ogi released a quiet laugh and began to tug her friend's elbow. "I'm happy for you and Avatar Aang," she said sincerely, so subdued compared to her previously hyper disposition that it gave a sort of whiplash effect. "And it's been a real pleasure finally speaking with you, Master Katara! We've heard such amazing things about you and being able to talk with you like this—it's an honour." She gave a respectful bow that Penelope copied, a little hesitantly; she seemed just as confused with her friend's behaviour as Katara was.

"It's been really nice speaking with you too," Katara replied honestly. "Do you need to leave?" She felt a little disappointed that their conversation was cut a little short. She was actually enjoying herself; even this ridiculous topic about boys made her excited. She was probably always going to be a romantic at heart. But more than her disappointment, she was curious as well about Ogi's rapid mood change that seemed to have come out of nowhere; she wanted to ask, but she wasn't comfortable enough to directly ask this from a near stranger.

Ogi nodded, a small smile coming back to her face. But her eyes betrayed her and Katara grew concerned at the soft sadness in there. "We've got our studies to do. Avatar Aang is really nice—the best!—but he can write up some really mean tests!" She tugged on Penelope's elbow. "And we made a vow when we came here that we were going to be the best acolytes Avatar Aang has ever seen!" she exclaimed, puffing up her chest in pride.

"Wait, there's going to be a test soon?" Penelope squeaked, her eyes becoming wide and fearful.

"Yes! Weren't you listening today? Or were you too busy ogling at your new boyfriend?" Ogi teased, a spark of her previous enthusiasm returning.

When Penelope spluttered and stammered in embarrassment, Katara couldn't help the light laughter that escaped her lips. She knew about those tests. Aang would tell her about them at the end of the day, mostly when they were eating together or when they were preparing for bed. She was familiar with the devilish mischief that would spark in his eyes whenever he planned them out or was in the process of actually writing them up at his desk. Honestly, Katara loved that side of him—it was a bit sadistic but she could tell that he found it fun. "Alright, alright," Katara laughed. "I'll let you two go. I know for a fact that Aang is very proud of you—proud of you all—and seeing you succeed makes him really happy."

The two blushed at her words and gave a respectful bow. "Thank you, Master Katara," they chimed in unison. Ogi grinned. "We'll do our best! Cheer for us, okay?" They straightened and gave her one last smile and wave before they took their leave, making their way back to the temples. Katara watched their backs for a moment, quietly happy that she seemed to have made two new friends, and turned back to face the water.

When she started her bending forms again, she casually ran through their conversation. 'Soul mates,' she thought, strangely attached to that thought. 'Aang and me, soul mates…?' Then she remembered how Ogi reacted, how deflated she became, and her hands stilled for the briefest of moments before she continued to stream the water again. She smiled softly to herself.

'That would be nice…'

After her talk with the two acolytes, Katara realised that she had been anti-social for far too long. It wasn't like she was actively avoiding everyone in the temple. It was just that everyone was here with a purpose—to study Air Nomad culture—and it was Aang's stage, not hers. Honestly, she had contemplated going back to the Southern Water Tribe to oversee the rebuilding of the tribe herself (and possibly be more useful than she was being here), but she never seriously considered it. If she left, Aang would be left completely alone to handle his duties and she didn't like the sound of that at all. Her place was by Aang's side, to protect him and to support him when the weight became too much; leaving him was never really an option. She would go wherever he wanted her to go and if she were honest with herself, she couldn't bear to be apart from him anyway.

When she expressed her interest to attend one of his classes that morning, he had been ecstatic. He had looked at her with such happiness that Katara was surprised by his reaction—had she really been neglecting this side of his duty as the last airbender? Perhaps she had been. She always stayed out of his way whenever he went about this particular matter, mostly because while a large part of the Air Acolytes were serious in their study, it was also made up of girls who were just part of Aang's fanclub. No girlfriend really wanted to see her boyfriend being fawned over by girls who undressed him with their eyes.

But after meeting those two girls, Katara realised that it was nigh time that she finally interacted with people other than her boyfriend (and the few others she'd help prepare meals with to feed the acolytes) and became more familiar with something that he was really, really passionate about—in fact, something that his entirely culture hinged on. She suddenly felt guilty that she hadn't given him the support he probably secretly wanted (or needed), but she was going to remedy that now.

"Katara!" Aang called the moment he saw her, his voice infused with blatant joy and excitement. He jumped down from the tree he was in (he had been collecting fruit and putting it into a basket) and gracefully landed in front of her, using just a touch of airbending to cushion his landing. "You're here!"

"Of course I'm here, sweetie," she scoffed, unable to stop the smile from spreading across her face. "I told you this morning, didn't I?"

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You did. I didn't forget; in fact, it's the only thing I've been thinking about all day!" Then he leaned forward and pecked her on her cheek affectionately. "I'm really glad you're going to joining us today," he said quietly, his breath tickling her skin.

'Maybe I should have done this earlier,' Katara thought, enjoying the attention he was giving her. "Hey," she said, attempting to defend herself. "I do sometimes drop in!"

"Yeah, but you never tell me, and you always hang out in the back," Aang whined. He adjusted the basket on his back and then took her hand, leading her to one of the open spaces around the temple. "Today, I'll allow you to be an honorary acolyte," he joked, his dark grey eyes flashing with playful mischief. "You're lucky, Katara. I planned the test for tomorrow, not today; you have a whole night to cram for it!"

"Oh?" Katara asked, returning the mischievous look as she followed him. "Why Aang, I didn't realise you were this kind of teacher! Are you already showing favouritism to one of your students by telling her when your 'surprise' test is supposed to be? I don't think that's very fair."

Aang laughed and Katara felt her heart flutter at the gentle sound. "Well, I guess you're right." Then he tossed her a look that was definitely not as innocent as his laugh had been and it caused Katara's heart to pound rather than flutter. "But you're my favourite in everything… so I'm always going to be unfair when it comes to you. You don't mind though, right?" He grinned, his gaze becoming lighter and more teasing. "Because hey, being the Avatar's girlfriend, you have to get a few perks!"

Katara chuckled and squeezed his hand; she loved the fact that he still blushed whenever he verbally acknowledged their relationship. "Like sharing a room?" she whispered flirtatiously, her own blush tinting her cheeks. But it was worth it when she saw Aang's face light up like a tomato and she laughed out loud when he nearly tripped on non-existent earth. She held his hand tighter instinctively and happily fell in step beside him, feeling relaxed and content.

"K-Katara!" he whined. "Please don't say such things in front of the acolytes. They've got to respect me, you know?"

"Are you saying that the way you treat your girlfriend will make them respect you less?" Katara asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm saying that you bring out the goof in me like nobody else can, sweetie."

Katara thought back to the other classes she had seen. Aang had been his fun, light-hearted self, but he was also more responsible, sensible, and adopted an air of professionalism and seriousness that the passing on of his culture demanded. It was somewhat strange for her to see, since she'd been with him when he really was just a goofy little kid, but at the same time, it made her proud and honestly quite flustered. Being able to revert Aang to somebody silly again—to someone who trips on nothing but a suggestive comment—was heady and flattering. She squeezed his hand and muttered with a smile, "If it makes you feel better… you do the same to me."

After a beat, Aang looked at her and she got the feeling that he wanted to kiss her (properly this time) but their moment was interrupted by the arrival of the acolytes. A group of them approached the two and bowed respectfully. "Good afternoon, Avatar Aang and Master Katara," they chimed, upbeat and eager. Katara recognised Penelope and Ogi among the crowd and their eyes connected. "Will you be joining us today, Master Katara?" Ogi asked, excited.

"Sure am!" Katara affirmed, glad to see these two again.

"She'll be an honorary acolyte today," Aang said cheerfully, his eyes shining. He glanced between the two girls and Katara—Katara had told him about them the other night—and he seemed ridiculously happy for some reason to actually see them interacting in person. It troubled Katara a little; had she really secluded herself from this so much? "So make sure to be on your best behaviour!"

"But we're always on our best behaviour, aren't we, Avatar?" one of them Katara vaguely recognised remarked slyly.

"Oh, of course! But just make sure you definitely are today?" He left the reason unspoken but everyone knew why he wanted them to be on their best behaviour anyway, and the couple couldn't help but blush. Even Aang knew how obvious he was being and he coughed to distract them, however ineffectively. "Anyway! Let's get this lesson started, shall we?"

The lesson was to take place at one of the courtyards outside the temple. It was a quiet place, away from the bison and lemurs and just a few yards away from the stream Katara usually practiced her waterbending forms. When she realised this, she gave Aang a surprised, inquiring look, and that quick, embarrassed glance that he acknowledged her with told her everything that she needed to know. Her face flushed and she said nothing. The acolytes sat on the pentagonal concrete cross-legged, taking out their notebooks and ink pens. Aang stood in front of the temple and Katara sat against one of the columns supporting the building, a little off to the side and in complete view of everyone. Perhaps it was a bit privileged of her, but she was not an acolyte—she wouldn't have felt right sitting with the crowd, but she wouldn't have felt comfortable sitting nearer to Aang in the front either. She didn't want to be a distraction; she was an observer and this time, she was going to really pay attention.

Aang began by handing out the fruit he had been collecting before she met up with him earlier. When Aang came up to her, he gave her a faint smile as he passed the pink, round fruit into her hands. She accepted it and held it close to her nose, enjoying the sweet scent; she closed her eyes in contentment just as Aang walked away. When he began the actual lesson, she was surprised that him handing out the fruit wasn't just a kind gesture to his students, but used also as a medium to begin his lecture on the customs of the Air Nomads. She listened carefully and watched him, enthralled with the way a different persona seemed to overtake him. He held everyone's attention—all eyes were on him, which seemed so natural—and he carried the lesson with graceful passion. She enjoyed watching him and the obvious joy and pride he had when he talked about his people made her very happy. She was lost in the lesson, completely forgetting about the acolytes, and quietly promised herself that she would actively attend to Aang's classes now whenever she could.

After a bit of time that seemed to pass by very quickly, Aang was wrapping up his lecture. Katara had eaten her moon peach long ago (she could only resist good fruit for so long) and was preparing to stand up and stretch and thank him for a very good lesson when, just before Aang was about to dismiss them, one of the acolyte's hands shot up. Aang seemed surprised by this too but pleasantly so. "Yes, Una?"

"Sorry to interrupt, Avatar Aang, and this might seem to come out of nowhere, but I was reading something last night that got me really curious about Air Nomad philosophy concerning death and the spirit," the girl said rapidly. Katara recognised the voice as the one who had spoken earlier. Everyone had turned to face her curiously. "Is it true that the Air Nomads don't believe in an afterlife?"

A few of the acolytes shuffled and snorted, but most of them respectfully looked back to Aang to listen to his answer. Aang smoothed his surprise over and let a soft smile fall onto place. "That's not exactly it," he said. "We all have spirits—that's as true as the ground you're sitting on right now. Life and death…"—he lifted up a moon peach that was still left in the basket—"is just a cycle, really, of a spirit's journey. Take this fruit for example. It was first nothing but a flower, but then that flower bore fruit, and this fruit shall be eaten until nothing but the seed is left, and that seed shall be planted to grow into a tree, which will grow and bear flowers that will bear more fruit, beginning the cycle again. Our spirits in life ripen and flesh out, become full, but when the time is ready, it eventually returns to the great spiritual plane—like the seed to the earth—and waits until it is used once more in life."

The acolytes nodded solemnly at his answer but Una didn't seem to be finished. "So… Air Nomad culture believes that there's not really an afterlife?"

Aang looked calm but Katara wondered if he was beginning to get a little bit uncomfortable. "Air Nomad philosophy focuses on the present, on life, on achieving enlightenment and clarity with the time you have been given by achieving harmony with nature. By believing in an afterlife, you are denying the idea of death itself—and that goes against nature and its laws. Idealisms like an afterlife… is something the monks who taught me tried to discourage."

"So things like soul mates is ridiculous, right?" Una drawled, giving a slightly mischievous glance to the side. Katara stiffened when she saw that her gaze was directed at Penelope, whose eyes had grown to the size of saucers. "It's just a ridiculous notion that's trying to turn material sentiment into something spiritual. Doesn't believing in something like that go against Air Nomad teachings where you have to detach yourself from that kind of illusion?"

At the death glare that Ogi was sending her way, Katara knew right away that the girl didn't bring up this topic for curiosity's sake, even though it was obvious that she actually believed what she was saying. Katara opened her mouth to speak—on the simple principle that this girl was intentionally hurting a gentle girl who was currently flushing with mortification—but Aang beat her to it. "Again, not exactly, Una," he said, and Katara had to give him credit for being so calm and patient and pacifying. "Soul mates are quite possible. After all"—Aang gave a sly glance at Katara—"I was taught from Avatar Roku that even friendships can last lifetimes."

Katara's heart thumped at the familiar words. That had been so long ago. She could barely remember that time beneath a setting sun, hands linked with the closest people to her. She smiled softly even when Aang had looked away.

There was a pause where most of the acolytes nodded with polite agreement, while the rest smiled whimsically. Penelope was gazing at Aang with this wide-eyed innocent hope that Katara was grateful for (no one should have their dreams ridiculed like that) and Ogi was poking out her tongue at Una, who probably hadn't noticed. Una had crossed her arms and looked a little embarrassed that Aang had rebuffed her claim; her face was red and her frown was heavy. But just before Katara thought it was over and she could finally stand up, Una suddenly blurted, "So if soul mates are real, then does the Avatar have a soul mate?" It wasn't spoken with any malicious intent; it was just a result of her fluster and an attempt to understand why something like a 'soul mate' wasn't being immediately rejected by the only remaining Air Nomad in the world. When she realised what words escaped her mouth, she flushed crimson. "I-I mean—if soul mates arereal—then even the Avatar must have one," she mumbled. "… Right?"

The silence was so dense that they could probably hear sky bison munching on fruit at the opposite side of the temple. Some acolytes were looking to Aang curiously for an answer, some were staring interestedly at Katara, and the others were openly gaping at Una, who just seemed to shrink at the attention. "Um…" Aang verbally stumbled, looking like he was caught between a fire blast and a pointy hard place. "That—um…" He looked completely and utterly floored.

"Avatar Aang, I have a question!" a voice suddenly shouted. It was Ogi. Everyone's gazes snapped towards her. She had her hand resolutely up in the air, her back straight and her expression steadfast. "When can we leave?" she asked point-blankly. "That moon peach was nice and all, but I'd still like to eat something else! Unless this is a practical lesson on how the monks lived and not just a theoretical one?"

"Oh! No, this isn't!" Aang said, a little too loudly. "Right! Sorry, that went a little overtime. Thank you for listening everyone!" At his dismissal, the acolytes obediently stood and started gathering their notebooks. "Make sure to study hard tonight," he warned offhandedly. "There may or may not be a surprise test tomorrow. Or the day after."

The Air Acolytes released a collective groan but respectfully bowed to both Aang and Katara before they shuffled off to do whatever it was Air Acolytes did whenever Aang wasn't directly supervising them. Katara stood as well, dusting off her blue tunic. She waited patiently by the column as Aang seriously conversed with the acolytes who had last-minute questions about the lesson (or were trying to milk some extra information out of him concerning the upcoming test). As she waited, she examined the moon peach pit that she hadn't thrown away. She was lost in her own thoughts when Aang finally escaped the acolytes and appeared like magic right in front of her.

"Sorry for making you wait!" Aang said, a little flustered and worried.

Katara snapped out of it and smiled at him brightly. "Aw, don't worry about it, sweetie," she cooed. "It's not your fault that you're everyone's favourite teacher." She absently threw the moon peach seed to the side, successfully throwing it into the bushes.

"I'm their only teacher."

"Not true," Katara laughed, shoving him lightly. "What about the Air Nomad scholars who also take over classes? You know, the ones who continue teaching the acolytes when you're off doing other Avatar-related duties somewhere else?"

Aang put on a believably innocent look. "There are others?" he asked, changing the tone of his voice to something just slightly higher.

"Oh, stop it; you can be so full of yourself sometimes, sweetie," she scolded, unable to stop smiling despite herself. "But I guess it's justified. That was a wonderful lesson, Aang. I think I might turn up for the others!"

Aang blushed slightly at the praise but any idiot would be able to see how he was practically glowing with happiness. "So you liked it?"

Katara reached up to wrap her arms around Aang's neck, pulling him close. Aang's arms automatically wrapped around her waist, the movement now as natural to him as breathing. "Of course I did," she whispered, pecking his nose. "Although…" Katara frowned slightly at the memory. "It did get a little weird at the end."

Aang chuckled nervously, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "Yeah, that was Una," he said, absently beginning to rock them on their feet. They seemed completely oblivious to the rest of the world as they conversed in secret whispers like lovers in a war. "She's really competitive. One of my top students academically-wise. There's a little competition going on between her and the other high-achieving students, Penelope being one of them." He shrugged helplessly. "It's ironic how she knows so much about Air Nomad culture and yet she behaves as she does. I don't know what's going on between them, truthfully."

"Well," Katara said carefully, "Penelope and Ogi were talking about soul mates to me the other day. I'm thinking that Una overheard them at some point or something—spirits know that Ogi wasn't exactly quiet about it." She released a small laugh, but it was quickly subdued. "She seemed pretty sure of herself, though. Are Air Nomad beliefs really against soul mates?"

Aang pressed their foreheads together tenderly. "Weren't you listening?" he asked playfully. "I said that it's entirely plausible. I really do believe that there are some spirits so connected with each other that the possibility of soul mates isn't that farfetched."

Katara stared deeply into his dark grey eyes and suddenly, she felt her chest tighten and her breath hitch. "And the Avatar…?" she asked breathlessly, this moment between them so close, so intimate, that Aang stilled completely. "Can the Avatar—"

"Avatar Aang!" someone yelled, shattering the intimacy of their moment so completely that it might as well have been a hammer to glass. The two abruptly pulled away from each other, their moment lost to the wind as they gave all their attention to the senior acolyte running towards them with concerning urgency. "We just received a messenger hawk. Attached to it was a letter with the seal of the Fire Lord; I believe it's an emergency, sir!"

Aang took the letter from the acolyte and wasted no time in reading it, his expression serious. Katara waited patiently, her heart hammering at the potential problems this one letter could bring to them. After a beat, Aang's stance relaxed and he nodded, glancing at the acolyte. "Thank you. Please send a message to Fire Lord Zuko telling him that I'll get this sorted right away." The older man bowed respectfully and dashed off again, exiting the scene just as quickly as he had entered. Aang folded the letter and tucked it into his robes. "There's just some trouble with one of the former Earth Kingdom colonies," he told Katara. "Nothing violent but it might get to that point if I don't put a stop it. Apparently they're scuffling over some historic relics there or something."

Katara released a small breath of relief. That didn't sound so bad. "Alright," she said. "I'll go get Appa."

"You don't need to come," he responded, trying to appear nonchalant. "It actually sounds pretty boring and diplomatic. You won't have very much fun."

Katara rolled her eyes and nudged him in the ribs, knowing what he was doing. "Don't pretend that you won't be bored out of your mind then either, if you think it'll be like that," she said dryly. "Even so, I want to come. If only to save you from boredom."

Aang couldn't hide the relief and pleasure from his eyes even if he tried. He laughed. "What would I do without you?"

"I'd rather not think about it, actually," Katara quipped playfully, and they shared a chaste kiss before they separated to prepare for their departure. Aang believed that this trip would take more than just a couple of days, so he had some instructions to give to the other Air Acolyte teachers before he left regarding the program and the test. Katara had just finished putting the saddle on Appa when Aang appeared by her side again. He airbended them up onto the sky bison's back and then they were off, their previous discussion on soul mates apparently forgotten.

True to Aang's word, Katara found that she really didn't have much to do when they got there. Aang had immediately been swept up in a hurricane of politics and heated debates about the right of possession for some piece of land or item or something, and Katara, who tried to keep up at first, eventually decided that she was wasting her time and simply hung back from it all. They were staying at an Earth Kingdom inn this time, who happily catered to them, but Katara ended up feeling lonely and extremely out of place. Aang would be away for most of the day as he negotiated with the politicians and diplomats, and he would come back to her grumpy and tired. Katara did her best to keep his spirits up—and her efforts usually worked—but he was constantly away from her and Katara couldn't help but feel like the spouse that got left behind while their partner worked.

And honestly? Perhaps that comparison wasn't too far-fetched after all.

It's not that Katara couldn't come with him, but there was no point. Her presence at the meetings changed nothing and she didn't want to distract Aang from what was already a very tedious matter. The best she could do, she realised, was to welcome Aang back home with a warm embrace and a grateful smile.

That didn't stop the feeling of heaviness though, and she kept this from Aang as best as she could.

When the matter was finally settled—Aang had managed to make them come to a compromise somehow; Katara didn't really ask for the details—they started their journey back to the Eastern Air Temple. They were unusually, but not uncomfortably, silent during their journey, with Aang at the reigns and Katara at the back in the saddle. They were both tired and eager just to go back home. But it was more than a day's trip back to the temple and eventually, Aang guided Appa to a flat piece of land where they were to set up camp for the night, the sun already setting and painting the sky with a tender shade of orange and rose pink.

But as the sun finally faded away and the moon was bright in the sky, Katara realised that something was wrong. She was preparing their futon, getting ready for bed after their dinner, but when she exited the tent, Aang was nowhere to be seen. She frowned, concerned, and looked around the camp. She spotted his glider in the saddle (which they'd removed from Appa and put off to the side) so she knew he hadn't gone too far. It wasn't like him to just leave the camp without telling her though and she grew worried. She walked towards Appa, patted his head, and said quietly, "Stay here, Appa. I'll go find him."

The sky bison made a low, guttural noise and closed his eyes.

"Good boy."

But she didn't get any more than three steps away from the campfire when a voice suddenly called out, "Katara? Where are you going?"

Katara spun around quickly and sure enough, there was Aang, emerging from the trees at the opposite end of the campsite. She released an annoyed huff of air and placed her hands on her hips. She glared at him from across the fire. "Well, I was going to go out to look for you!"

Aang quirked an eyebrow. "In the dark?"

Katara flushed lightly and scowled. "W-Well, no, I was… It's not that dark," she pouted. She pointedly ignored the fact that it really was quite dark, and although the moon was bright, it wouldn't have been an adequate enough light source if she had actually ventured out into the forest to look for Aang. "I would have brought a torch!" she defended hotly.

There was a beat of silence until Aang laughed. "Right," he drawled, amused. He turned to give a sleeping Appa a soft pat on the head before he began walking towards the tent. He was halfway in when he glanced at her and quipped suggestively, "Coming?"

Despite his teasing, Katara couldn't hold onto her irritation for long and crossed the distance towards him. "Where were you, anyway?" she asked instead as she followed in after him, settling down next to him as they snuggled into the futon. She was immediately appreciative of the warmth his body exuded; it was much nicer than even the warmth from their small campfire. Now that they were in the tent and not outside, it was comfortably heated, the privacy giving them an intimate, cosy atmosphere that she was grateful for. She wrapped her arms around his torso and settled her head against his collarbone.

"Nowhere important," Aang evaded, holding her close and burying his nose into her hair. He closed his eyes and his breathing smoothed out. "Goodnight, sweetie."

"Goodnight," Katara murmured, letting the matter go. She really was weary, and being comfortably tangled up in Aang's embrace was lulling her into a warm, secure slumber. But as the silence stretched on and she tried to fall asleep, she eventually noticed that Aang wasn't as relaxed as she first thought. She could practically feel his heart beating at an erratic pace; he was restless, his body shifting subtly and his hold on her tightening every once in a while. Katara was terribly distracted from actual sleep when he suddenly started planting small kisses in her hair. She shifted and moaned softly, opening sleepy blue eyes to look up into his alert ones. "Aang?" she asked quietly, slowly gaining her awareness back. "What's the matter, sweetie?"

"I'm sorry for how the past week has been," he whispered. In the intimacy of their tent, Katara felt like the whole world consisted only of her and Aang. "I know… that you've been lonely." He placed a small kiss on her forehead, his embrace tightening. "I'm sorry."

Katara closed her eyes and sighed, her breath ghosting over Aang's bare neck. "It's okay," she murmured, her lips just brushing against his skin.

There was a beat of silence, then Aang asked, "… Are you unhappy?"

That question, sounding so small and insecure, made Katara look up. Aang was avoiding her eyes but she could clearly see the nervousness, sadness, and fear being expressed on his face. He would always be an open book to her. "Don't be silly," she whispered, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "Of course I'm happy."

But despite the sincerity of her words and the gentleness of her touch, Aang was still troubled. He was steadfastly looking at anywhere but her eyes, his fingers nervously pressing against the small of her back. "I want to spend every waking moment with you," he suddenly blurted, his face flushing. "From the minute I open my eyes to the minute I fall sleep, I want to be with you. But… But there's just so many things going on, and at the end of the day, I realise that I spend less time with you than I really wanted to."

Katara's heart fluttered pleasantly at his confession, warming her in a way that no physical heat could. "It's okay," she said again.

"But it's not okay," he said, finally looking at her. There was such sadness and self-loathing in his dark grey eyes. "I love you more than anything in the world, so why? It's not fair. You should never have to feel lonely—not you, never you—and yet—"

"Ssh," Katara cooed, seeing how upset he was becoming. She kissed him gently, not surprised when he returned the kiss with a sense of urgency and desperateness. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, flushing when he shifted on top of her and balanced his weight on his forearms. Beneath the quilt, he settled his weight comfortably on top of her, and she gently pressed a leg against his hip. Eventually, they broke the kiss, their breaths heavy in the tent. "It's alright, Aang, really," she told him earnestly. Even though it was dark, she could just barely make out his eyes, illuminated by the moonlight passing through the netted window of the tent. "It doesn't bother me all that much. Not really. Do you know why?"

Aang looked unconvinced. He pressed their foreheads together and asked, with a small pout, "No; why?"

"Because I'm honestly being quite selfish."

His eyes widened at her answer and he pulled back slightly. He gawked at her in disbelief. "What?" he asked, incredulous. "Selfish? Katara, you're the least selfish person on the planet!"

"Not true," she said, smiling a mischievous smile. "You want to know the truth, Aang? Well, okay. Sometimes, I doget upset when you have to go away or when you're too preoccupied with your job to notice me. I do get sad when we're apart, or when we're too busy to spend much time with each other. I end up missing you really badly, but I don't complain because it's the Avatar's duty to bring peace to the world. I know how hard that is—how time-consuming—and it was clear to me from the very start that the Avatar belonged to the world."

"Katara…" Aang murmured, pained and regretful and miserable, hating the realty of it all and how it made his beloved feel. Nevertheless, he opened his mouth to refute her words, to say anything that would comfort her and let her know how much he utterly adored her, but she beat him to the punch.

"But," she said quickly, pulling him back towards her. "I don't mind. The world can keep the Avatar. All I want…" she whispered, "is you." She took advantage of his surprise and kissed him soundly on the mouth, aggressively demanding him to take her, which he quickly obliged. Their bodies shifted, moulding into the familiar shape of the other, and as Katara moaned into the kiss, she wrapped her legs around his possessively. When they finally broke apart for air, their breaths came out in heavy pants. Katara gazed at him with half-lidded eyes and murmured, "I just want Aang. I just want you. I'm selfish because while the Avatar is great and all, you are even better." Her lips quirked upwards in a playful smile. "There will only be one Aang and he's all mine. I got the better part of the deal, don't you think?"

Her confession made his heart beat erratically. Aang felt like his chest was on fire—how could her words cause so much happiness and pain at the same time? How was that even possible? His heart was bursting with so much love and adoration for this woman in his arms that it overwhelmed him. As he gazed down at her, relaxed and pliant and honestly sincere, he realised with startling clarity how ungrateful and insolent he had been. This woman deserved to be worshipped wholeheartedly, deserved to be fawned and adored for the rest of her days, and Aang was going to do his damn best to give her that even if it took him the rest of his life.

He kissed her and by the end of it, they were left breathless.

He buried his face into her hair and pressed his lips to her neck. "You're too good to me," he croaked, his overwhelming feelings threatening to make tears spring from his eyes. "I don't deserve you."

Katara closed her eyes, feeling like she was going to cry too. She smiled softly and kissed his temple. "Idiot. Of course you do."

Katara didn't care if his time was taken up by his Avatar duties. She knew even before she became invested in this relationship what the difficulties would be. She understood his responsibilities, she understood the toll it would ask from them both, and she accepted it. She accepted the fact that the Avatar could not have a soul mate, because his soul was one that reincarnated over and over and has loved countless others—others that were not Katara—and will probably move on to love another soul when the next Avatar was born, but Katara didn't care about that. She loved the Avatar, certainly; she firmly believed that their friendship would definitely transcend lifetimes. But in her heart, in that special place inside her reserved for her most important person, there was not the Avatar, but Aang.

Aang, that goofy kid she freed from an iceberg; Aang, who had always been there to protect her even when he was still weak, still unable to grasp his own powers; Aang, the boy who made mistakes but never truly ran away, not from her; Aang, who had clumsily kissed her when she said she was confused, because he wanted to blow away the confusion from her mind; Aang, who persisted and never gave up on her, who waited for her, even though he didn't need to; Aang, the young man she fell in love with even before she realised it herself.

All she ever wanted was Aang, not the Avatar.

As he kissed her again, she knew in the back of her mind that he didn't quite believe her. He probably believed that she was being selfless, being a saint.

Katara clutched him tightly and possessively kept her against him.

She would try to make him understand—if only to ease his guilt, knowing him—but honestly?

Katara was selfish and if he tried to compensate his self-perceived neglect by lavishing her with attention, she didn't mind at all.