Hey Everyone! This is my first fan fiction ever so be kind. Rate and Review!

I am only a man. Trying to stand. -The Paper Kites

It was a cold winter day when he walked through the streets of Ba Sing Sae. Even though the cold was bitter and caused his bones to ache with pain, the man pushed on. Not many people were walking about on this particular chilly day. Besides a couple passing him on the other side of the street, he was actually the only one.

As the couple passed he couldn't help but stare. And by staring he learned. With their hands, he learned that they kept each other warm. With the balance in their step, he learned that they relied on each other. With their slow pace he learned that they were not focused on the destination, but more the journey. Last of all, he learned from their eyes, that they loved each other with a kind of love that not even death can conquer.

Seeing them made him joyful, yet at the same time it brought remorse. He once knew a girl that he had this kind of love for. It was only five short years ago that he kissed this girl on a tea shop balcony. Yet they were not walking down the street together. He was alone.

And it was his fault.

He had pushed her away until she could not take it anymore. He wasn't trying to hurt her… he was trying to save her from being stuck with him. He loved her with every fiber of his soul, but he knew that she deserved much more than he could give her.

She deserved a man who would always come home. A man who could guarantee her safety. A man who put her above all things. And he could do none of these. So he left.

Now two years down the road, and he was walking once more in her direction. He had changed a lot since the last time he had seen her. He was much taller, now at a towering 6 feet tall, and his shoulders had broadened. He had also become much more muscular which was brought on by all his heavy training. But the most change was in his face.

Before he left it was filled with happiness and a childlike love for all things, but now it was different. One could not tell unless they looked closely, but he had definitely changed. His eyes held a twinge of loneliness and fatigue. Even when he smiled, it never quite touched his deep gray eyes.

But hey. Who really cared, right?

With a heavy sigh in the crisp air the man realized that he had reached his destination. He looked at the door for a couple seconds just thinking. Should he have come? Would they want to see him? Maybe he should just turn around and go home… but he didn't move. He just stood and let the swirling air around him go into his lungs and fill him with a deep burn. In a way, the air woke him up from his pondering thoughts and he finally moved.

With a steady hand, he reached up and knocked on the door to The Jasmine Dragon.

It took about 10 seconds before the door handle fidgeted. He knew the time had finally come.

And with that the large door swung open.

"AANG?" was all the man at the door could stutter.

"Uh.. hey Sokka." Aang said quietly trying to figure out if the man in front of him was going to invite him in or slam the door in his face. The door in the face was probably what he really deserved.

But the man did neither. Instead he wrapped Aang in a strangling hug that actually kind of hurt.

"LET… GO… CAN'T… BREATHE!" Aang struggled to say to Sokka as he fought for air.

When Sokka finally let go his eyes were brimming with a little bit of water. He tried to hide it before Aang noticed, but it was too late. The damage was done.

"I haven't seen you in like years. Seriously it's been 2 years 23 days and 4 hours… not that I was counting…" Sokka then flashed him with a smile that only Sokka could pull off.

"Its good to see you too, Sokka." and as he said this he had to restrain himself from letting his weakness show like Sokka did.

All of a sudden he heard a loud scream come from somewhere behind the door.

"TWINKLETOES?!"

When Aang heard this he immediately braced himself for the inevitable punch in the arm. And surely enough it came. But even though he braced himself, he still lost a little feeling where she hit him.

"That's for leaving." Then she suddenly knocked him over in a hug even stronger than Sokka's.

"And this is for coming back." she mumbled into his sleeve as she held him tightly, only audible to Aang.

Aang was shocked by Sokka's reaction, but Toph was completely mindblowing. He didn't see her hug anyone the whole time they traveled together. She had changed just as much as he had.

Actually both of them had. As Aang looked closer he saw that Sokka had more of a glow to him. Maybe that was due to the fact that he had become quite a handsome man. And Toph had also changed into someone who wasn't constantly picking her toenails. She was more a rough young woman than the dirty little girl he had known for so long.

"Its so good to see both of you!" Aang said when Toph finally released her death grip on him and allowed him to get up.

Aang suddenly realized what was causing Sokka's glow when another person stepped out of the tea shop.

"Is that Aang?" the woman said when she saw him.

When Aang saw her he did not recognize her. The girl he had known, now wore a gleaming betrothal necklace and had a small protruding bump in her midsection. When she arrived at the doorway, Sokka put his arm around her waist in a comforting yet almost protective manner.

"Hello, Suki." Aang said when he finally recognized the face that was normally covered in heavy kyoshi makeup.

"This is certainly a shock… I don't mean to sound rude, but what are you doing here?" Suki said and the others slowly nodded because they were thinking the same question.

"Um… its sort of a long story...Can I come inside?"

"Of course!" They all said at once and filed into the tea room.

As soon as they entered Aang, Toph and Sokka sat down while Suki prepared some tea for them. It was at this moment that Aang realized that an important face was missing. The face that he had traveled halfway across the world to see. The face that had saved him from that iceberg all those years ago.

"Where's Katara?" Aang said with a bit of caution in his voice.

At this everyone in the room kind of stiffened and it took a moment before Sokka finally spoke on his sister's behalf.

"Well she… uh… she's out in the town…" Sokka stuttered out. As he spoke his eyes flicked around the room like he was avoiding something. Something important.

"Oh… What for?" Aang asked, trying to conceal his concern for Katara.

"Well its kind of hard to explain… she is-"

"GETTING GROCERIES" Toph interrupted.

Aang knew they were hiding something but he didn't want to push it considering he was still on thin ice for just now visiting after 2 years. So instead he just moved on and told them stories of his adventures around the world. He had done so much in so little time that it was hard for them to believe that this was still Aang standing in front of them.

After many tales (some a little exaggerated) Aang told them why he was here. It had to do with a dream he had two nights ago. Unlike most of his dreams, this one had Roku in it. .

"In the dream, Roku told me I had to find you guys. He said it was important for fulfilling my destiny, but he didn't say much more than that. I just assumed you were in some sort of trouble so I came as quickly as possible… and well that leads me to how I am here now."

After Aang finished his story, he just talked to his old friends and caught up. According to what they told him, Sokka was married and preparing for his new child, Toph was dating some earthbender in a lower ring of Ba Sing Sae and Zuko was getting married in a few months so Iroh was in the fire nation preparing him for his big day. While he was gone they were watching over the shop.

But of all the conversations they had, Katara never came up. Nobody said anything about how she was doing or if she had changed. Nothing. So Aang finally brought her name up.

"So when do you think Katara will be back?" He said nonchalantly.

Toph spit out her tea, while Suki choked on what she was sipping. Sokka just looked at Aang with big eyes and said, "Um soon… how about we show you to your room now? I'm sure you're ready to take a nap after all this traveling!"

It was true. Aang was exhausted. But not just from traveling. He was tired from life in general. Everything just drained him, and he never really had much energy to be drained from. But he wasn't tired enough that he didn't realize Sokka was avoiding his question. Not just his question, he was avoiding Katara in general. They all were.

But why?

What could have happened to Katara in the two years since he saw her? Something so terrible that his own friends wouldn't tell him. The last time they didn't tell him something, he found out that his whole people were wiped out.

But instead of letting himself fret, he allowed Sokka to lead him to his room. It was a quaint room with a small bed under the window on the back wall. The walls were a light yellow that suited Aang very nicely. Besides the bed, there was a small table beside the head and a dresser on one of the side walls. Although Aang really only cared about the bed.

When Sokka left him to unpack, he walked over to the bed and just flopped down face first. As soon as he hit the bed he was practically asleep. But he knew he had to change before he could sleep. After all, he had been wearing this outfit for almost a week and he had to admit that it had started to repel others with its stench.

So he took off his typical air nomad garb and showered off. As the water ran down his chest, he realized that the water was not only cleaning away his dirt, but it was also rinsing away his pain and regret. His friends had forgiven him and showed him great love after what he had done. Maybe it wasn't too late to mend his broken his friendships.

But then he remembered.

She still hadn't seen him. Which meant she still hadn't forgiven him.

At this thought, all of Aang's past fears returned in a wave that threatened to overwhelm him and he was left to finish his shower with a feeling of self loathing. And only Katara's water could rinse him of that.

All of a sudden, he heard a quiet knock on the door, and he knew it was time for him to step out of the warm embrace of water. He quickly clothed himself and walked over to the door. When he opened it, he was shocked to find Suki standing there. She looked kind of panicked and she quickly pushed her way into his room and sat down on his bed.

"Uh hey Suki. Did you need something?" Aang said, trying not to seem rude even though Suki had barged into his privacy.

Suki solemnly looked up at Aang. In her eyes he could see some sort of emotion. Was it pity? Or fear? Whatever it was, it wasn't a good emotion, and it sent shivers down his spine.

"Yea, Aang. I had to tell you that... Katara is back…"

At this statement Aang completely forgot about Suki's eyes and started smiling like a fool. Even after all the thoughts he had in the shower he still was happy when her name popped up. Because with her name came the picture of her beautiful face surrounded in her sepia colored hair. And those piercing blue eyes. This picture sent him into the air with a gust of wind and pushed him to the door which lead to her. He couldn't believe he was finally going to see her again.

That was when a cold but firm hand grabbed his wrist and turned him around, and tore him away from his picture of Katara.

"There's something else. Katara has changed and I just don't want you to be too hurt when you see-" But Suki was cut off when a shadow appeared at the door to his room.

When he saw Suki staring at whoever was standing there, he in turn looked towards the figure at the door.

His breath was completely gone when he laid his eyes upon her beauty, but he somehow pushed one word out of his lips.

"Katara."