Disclaimer: What? "Avatar" doesn't belong to me? I am so shocked. You should be, too.

Author's Notes: This is the first chapter of something that's been floating around in my head for a while now. I don't think I'll do anything with it, but meh. If I get enough reviews, I might continue it. So please, please let me know what you think. Oh, and I have no outline, so it's just whatever the heck I decide to put in here. Enjoy.

Out the Window

My uncle, daddy, Gran-Gran, and brother have got my whole life planned out for me. It sucks, really. I've been wanting to just write a note or something and climb out the back window, never to see this boring place again. I love them, but I want to escape.

Maybe just hitchhike my way across Colorado and head west. I heard it's nice in Cali.

Whoever said "home is where the heart is" never met my home.

Katara Kuruk hummed along to the tunes jamming in her iPod as she swept the cement floor methodically. It wasn't necessarily hot today, but it was rather humid, and her chocolate brown hair was starting to stick to her face and neck. She paused for a moment to tie it back into a ponytail with one of the hairbands around her wrist. She began to sweep again, pushing dirt and leaves out of the old auto body garage and into the street. The body shop was owned and run by her family; it was one of the few things they had left. After her mother had died when she was young, her father's best friend "Uncle" Bato had moved in to help with mortgage payments and bills and stuff. Their grandmother also lived with them, along with her brother and father.

Katara leaned the broom against the wall and pulled a greasy rag from the back pocket of her overalls, taking a moment to throw it on a rickety workbench in the corner. Shading her eyes, she walked outside and around an open garage door to where her surrogate uncle was buried up to his elbows in the front end of a car.

Katara pulled her iPod out for a moment. "Uncle Bato, what time is it?"

The dark-complected man took a moment to look up and shake his head. "No idea. But I'm sure it's around lunch time; your brother has been complaining for over an hour."

She sighed. "Nothing new there." Katara wiped her brow again and looked out the garage door across the scenic Colorado valley in which their little town was situated. She shook her head. "I'll go inside and see what everyone's up to."

The dark-skinned girl walked up the short steps to the three-bedroom apartment adjacent to the body shop, but just as she reached for the door handle it was yanked open by none other than her father, Hakoda.

"Katara," he said coolly, hiding his surprise. "Gran-Gran needs your help making lunch."

She sighed but nodded. Probably just cold sandwiches or leftovers again. Eew.

Katara walked around the table into the kitchen where her grandmother was already fixing the food. The old woman looked up when she heard someone in the doorway. She tapped her knife on the cutting board next to her. "Come over here and help me peel these apples."

The young girl slouched slightly but reserved herself to her duties. She picked up a knife and began peeling.

"Oh no, Katara!" Gran-Gran exclaimed. "Wash up first! You've been working in that filthy garage all day." Katara resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead did as Gran-Gran said. As the water ran over her hands, the old woman spoke, "You know what you need, Katara? An education. Once you turn eighteen and graduate from high school, you should go away and board at a university. Who knows? You might find a nice boy you like. I've always thought you should marry a surgeon or a businessman, you know. They make some nice paychecks, if you know what I mean…"

Katara returned to her peeling as the woman continued to ramble on. The girl tuned her grandmother out and instead focused on her job. But soon enough, her mind began to wander. I don't want to marry a surgeon or a businessman or somebody rich and famous. I don't want to go away to college and "get a nice education." How boring. I want to see the world, maybe take a road trip… and meet someone who genuinely cares about me.

Maybe a boy… Maybe a really cute one, too. Her face flushed. Maybe he'll have a wonderful sense of adventure and the nicest gray eyes. Or maybe… maybe they'll be a light golden brown…

An obnoxious rapping noise interrupted her thoughts. She looked over to see a teen who resembled her almost exactly standing in the doorway. Katara narrowed her eyes and glared at her brother. "Sokka, you're interrupting something."

"Really, Sokka," Gran-Gran chided, "let your sister be."

"Relax, Gran," the dark boy said, "I just wanted to see if you guys were ready yet."

Katara growled and stalked over to her brother, pointing him in the chest with the blunt end of her knife. "Maybe if you would help, it wouldn't be taking so long."

He held up his hands defensively, smiling coyly all the way. With a shake of his head, he calmly explained, "I… am a man. Men don't do work like cooking and sewing and crap like that. That's a woman's job."

Katara's face burned, and her fists clenched so hard her knuckles turned white. She felt the hot anger bubbling up inside her, and she was fit to burst. "You are the most sexist, immature, nut-brained… UGH!" There just were no words for what she was feeling towards him right now. She shoved him hard on the chest. "I'm embarrassed to be related to you!"

Her brother took a moment to run a hand through his short brown hair. "Jeez, Katara, just calm down a little…"

She gritted her teeth together. She was so sick of being pushed around, and treated unfairly, and being called a girl. As if that were a demeaning term! Honestly! "I cannot believe you!" she exploded.

Somehow, Gran-Gran managed to place a hand on both their chests and move them away from each other. "That's enough," she said sternly. "Katara, there is no need to shout at Sokka that way." Katara's shoulders shook as she struggled to maintain her temper. "And Sokka," she said grimly, turning to him, "be kind. That comment was extremely unnecessary."

"Yes, Gran-Gran," they said in unison. But when the old woman returned to her work, Sokka shot his sister a smug grin. 'I win,' he mouthed to her.

Her blue eyes narrowed. 'We'll see,' she signaled back. We'll see indeed.

He blew her a raspberry, then started making stupid faces and mouthing rude boyish things. Katara let out a frustrated "uhhhh!" before spinning on her heel and picking up her apple. She had no time for his childish games. If Sokka wanted to act like a big baby, then he could—but he would not drag her down with him. She would not stoop to his level of (im)maturity.

She was fifteen years old, for crying out loud. She had her learner's permit and would go into her sophomore year of high school in the fall. She was extremely mature. Much more so than her idiot brother. Ha ha. He couldn't screw in a light bulb if the instructions were written on the box.

Katara finished peeling and chopping and moved the apples into a bowl. After Gran-Gran made the sandwiches, she called Uncle Bato and Hakoda in from the garage and they all moved towards the dining room table.

At the smell of food, Sokka rushed into the dining room right on schedule, blue and white shirt wrinkled and tan sandals in hand. Katara cocked an eyebrow his way as he took his place beside her, but she said nothing. He just ignored her. Obviously.

What a jerk.

Everyone sat down and began to eat. After a few minutes and the occasional compliments aimed towards Gran-Gran, Hakoda cleared his throat. Everyone in the room looked expectantly towards him, and his grim face gave away bad news.

The blue-eyed man began slowly. "I hate bringing matters like this up at the table, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to talk to you all at the same time otherwise." Katara and Sokka shared a look. Uh-oh.

There was a long pause in which their father didn't talk. Gran-Gran's face was pulled into a frown, as if she already knew what was to come. Bato and Sokka were curious but cautious, and Katara couldn't help but grimace as a huge feeling of foreboding clamped around her stomach. "I've been drafted again," he said abruptly, refusing to make eye contact.

Katara's fork clattered to her plate. What…? But he had just gotten back a few weeks ago! Army be damned, they couldn't just take him away again! Not now… Not so soon. Not when they needed him. The girl looked at her brother; his face was contorted into a mask of anger and desperation.

"Dad!" he shouted, standing up quickly. Hands planted on the table, all eyes were on him as Sokka's chair banged loudly against the wall. "You can't just leave us! You just got back a few weeks ago! They can't… they have no right to draft you again so soon! It's sick, and it's wrong! You can't go!"

The room was silent as Sokka's words echoed in everyone's mind. His father Hakoda tried to calm down the boy that reminded him so much of himself. "Sokka—"

"No, Dad," he said as forcefully as he could. "This isn't right. It's not fair at all! It's not fair to me, or you, or Katara, or Gran-Gran and Uncle Bato. You can't—"

Hakoda's loud voice shut him up. "That's enough!" he barked. Sokka bit his lip and stared at the floor, fingers curling around the lip of the table and digging into the old wood. His father's tone was soft but still sharp. "I have to go; I have been drafted. I owe it to my country to fight in this blasted war. I want it to be over just as much as you do… and if you think I want to go, then you're delusional." A ghost of a smile whisked over his face, but Sokka continued to stare at the floor.

"I am going whether you, or I, or anyone else in this family likes it or not. But I'll be back soon, I promise." He tried to smile, but it only came out sad.

"I'm going with you, then," Bato stated simply. Hakoda nodded gratefully. Katara felt tiny pinpricks behind her eyes and looked up at her older brother. He was biting his lip so hard it was beginning to bleed. She saw the turmoil in his eyes—the anger, the frustration, despair… loneliness. He wanted so badly to go along with them, like he had wanted to go along the first time. But he knew he couldn't.

Too young. Too slow. Too uneducated. There were too many excuses. Too much crap they kept feeding him.

Katara felt her heart give in. She slid her fingers softly over Sokka's rough ones, but he quickly pulled away as if burned. He threw himself away from the table and up the steps into his room.

The slamming of his bedroom door echoed through the apartment. Katara looked at the depressed and deeply upset faces of her family, and she wondered if this was what loneliness sounded like.

--

Katara plugged her earbuds in and turned up the volume. She rocked back and forth on one of the rickety old hillbilly rocking chairs, legs folded neatly underneath her so she could get a better view of the sunset over the apartment's old wooden railing. She hummed along to her music, rocking sporadically, before mumbling and finally jumping up and singing along. Music made her feel good.

…And her parents' dreams went out the window

With a short blue dress and a jewelry box

She left a note sayin', "I'll call you tomorrow

"I love you both." And she was gone…

She was gone—out the window

The brown-haired girl danced along, not caring who else in this small backwoods town noticed. Sokka could take a picture and have it posted on the Internet within a few seconds, and she would be completely oblivious. When the song ended, she began to mumble again softly to herself. "And my parents' dreams can go out the window… Forget what Sokka says," she said unhappily.

Just in that moment, a rickety old pickup truck chugged through town and stopped right in front of her family's garage. "What the…?" Katara put her iPod in the pocket of her overalls and stood up to watch the car curiously. The truck was surrounded in a thin cloud of reddish dust and exhaust she could only assume came from the engine. A strange young kid hopped out of the car, groaning and muttering things she couldn't hear. He pulled up the hood, and she watched with interest as more whitish steam and smoke poured from under the hood. She couldn't see the stranger very well, so she decided to go over and investigate. Maybe she could do something to help.

Katara hopped over the old wooden railing and, avoiding the crumbling foundation of her apartment home, she made her way down a small slope to the garage's gravel parking lot. "Do you need any help, stranger?" she inquired when she was within earshot. A young boy poked his head out from under the hood.

"Uh… yeah," he said over the hissing of the engine. "Something's wrong. I think it overheated."

The dark girl approached him curiously, noticing that he was very young—too young to be driving, anyway. He had black hair, shining gray eyes, and a constant friendly smile. Now that she looked through the dust, she could see his car was white with silver pin striping down the side. The letters "A-P-P-A" were written on the back license plate. "Hmm." She walked forward and started poking around under the hood. "Looks like a few of your hoses are disconnected… and your coolant is leaking all over the place. It's a pretty easy fix," Katara said, still ducking under the hood. "I can get my dad or my brother to come out here and fill you up. Repairing the connections should be no problem." She offered her most gracious smile.

He smiled gratefully. "Thank you." The boy's face was laughing, and his nose scrunched up.

Katara was confused before she noticed he was looking at her. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"You have grease on your face," he chuckled.

"I hate that," Katara groaned. The boy started laughing, and she did, too. It felt really good to do something that didn't end in a fight. "I'm Katara Kuruk, by the way," the girl said, offering her dark hand.

The stranger shook it. "Aang Shenyang," he said simply.

"Aang," she repeated. "Weird name."

He cocked an eyebrow. "What about you?"

Katara giggled. "Touché." She smiled softly before running her fingers over the hood of his dirty white pickup. "So… what's a kid like you driving a truck out here in the middle of nowhere?"

Aang shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh… well, it's kind of a long story…" From the way he dropped his gaze and drew his toe through the red soil, Katara could tell he didn't really want to talk about it. She smiled knowingly.

"That's OK. I understand. Just let me call my brother out here; he'll fix you up, and then you can be on your way."

He flashed a large smile. "Thank you so much."

Katara planted her hands on her hips. "Oh, don't thank me just yet," she muttered. "SOKKA! Get out here, now!" A window from the second floor of their apartment flew open, and the sixteen-year-old stuck his brown head out just enough to yell at his sister.

"Shut up, Katara, and leave me alone!"

"No!" she yelled back. "We've got someone down here who needs help! Now get your lazy arse out of your bedroom, get down here, and help me. You've been moping in your room all day!"

The window slammed shut, and Sokka's muffled voice could barely be heard from inside. "Get Dad or Bato. I ain't doin' it."

"They're packing, stupid." There was silence for a moment before Katara heard the tell-tale grumbling and thumping noises of her brother making his way down the stairs. She looked sideways at Aang and sighed. "I'm sorry about that," she apologized. "My brother is such a pain sometimes."

He shrugged. "It's OK. I'm sure he doesn't mean to be."

"I doubt that," the blue-eyed girl said more to herself than Aang. Her new friend cocked his head curiously, hearing the comment, but said nothing.

Soon enough, a lanky boy of about sixteen stumbled out the beat-up screen door into the gravel drive of the auto body shop. With dark brown hair, tanned skin, and bright blue eyes, he looked exactly like his sister, only taller. His chocolate hair was spiked up with dark blue streaks in the front. He ground his eye with the palm of his hand. "Whatd'ya want?" he grumbled, voice low.

Katara pulled one strand of hair away from her face. She had two separate tendrils, which were separated from the rest of her hair by two small, blue clips. These were free to hang down in the front of her face and were blown around in the soft southern wind. "This is Aang," she said, motioning to the boy. Aang smiled and waved in a friendly manner. "He needs a few hoses put back in place, and some more coolant for the engine."

Sokka sighed, rubbing his hands together. "OK… Aang, the sooner I get started, the sooner we can get you outta here." He started to duck under the hood, but stopped and turned to the new kid. "I'm Sokka, by the way," he said, offering a dirty hand to him.

Aang took it reluctantly. "Yeah… I've heard," he laughed nervously.

Sokka dug around in the engine compartment for a moment before breaking the silence. "So… Katara, how long have you known this guy?"

Aang put his hands behind his back shyly as Katara answered, "I just met him today. I told you that, meathead. I don't see what the big deal is, anyway." They both caught the annoyed tone in her voice. Aang wanted to reach out and try to calm the pretty girl as best he could, but all Sokka did was say something rude.

"I'm your brother. It's my job to know." There was a pause. "You know I'm not that fond of strangers, Kat."

It wasn't a threat or a promise, just a simple statement of fact. Like discussing the weather. But nevertheless, Aang felt more than a little uncomfortable. He had taken to the girl, Katara, almost immediately. She was very pretty, extremely nice, and her smile was so kind. He had never met another girl quite like her before. But her brother Sokka rather scared him. He knew the older boy was only trying to look out for his family, but still. Sokka was much, much taller than him, and probably a whole lot stronger, too. It would be to his advantage if he could stay on the older boy's good side.

Katara peered around the top of the truck into the flatbed. There, a mattress sat firmly attached to the bed. It was old, but not dirty. A few bags and packs lay scattered around the bed of the truck, stuffed into the crannies beside the mattress so the things inside wouldn't blow away. "Wow, Aang," Katara said, "you've got a mattress back here!"

"Huh?" Aang looked from Sokka to Katara. "Oh, yeah. I sleep back there. This old truck is pretty much all I have left, so at night, I just park on the side of the road and hit the sack. It's really nice for listening to the crickets and watching the sunrise."

Katara whirled around to face him, a huge smile on her face. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "So you just roam around the country in your truck?"

Aang nodded enthusiastically. "Seeing things, meeting people, going to places most folks have only seen on postcards." He scratched his head, scrunching up his nose in the process. "It's… nice, but y'know, I kinda miss the comforts of home every once in a while." He grinned sheepishly, a light pink tinge tinting his cheeks. Katara smiled back.

"So… you're like a nomad?" came Sokka's skeptical voice from up front.

The kid nodded again. "You could say that."

Katara opened her mouth to ask a question, perhaps about his family, but thought better of it. If this strange thirteen-year-old wanted to drive around the country in one huge road trip, it really wasn't her business to poke around in his past. Besides, a road trip sounded like fun. When she told him so, he only nodded and laughed. "It is," he assured her. "It really is."

She sighed wistfully. "I wish I could do something like that. Sounds like fun."

"Sounds like trouble to me," her brother grunted from under the hood. "Thieves, bandits, outlaws, murderers… they're out to getcha. They're mean and nasty, and they won't hesitate to prey on a couple of innocent kids going cross-country in a beat-up rust bucket."

She frowned and smacked his butt. "Shut up, you party pooper. I'm only dreaming, anyways. It's not like anyone in this family would actually let me go, even if I did get the chance." She said this very softly and sadly, and Aang picked up on both.

"Hey…" he rested an awkward hand on her shoulder. "They love you, you know. I know my parents certainly wouldn't let me go on a road trip with a random stranger in a beat-up pickup truck." He offered a huge grin and a chuckle, which Katara gratefully returned. Sokka banged his head on the hood, muttering a few choice words under his breath in the process. He straightened up and slammed the hood down, wiping his hands off on a grease rag.

"Well," he said, "there you go. I fixed all your connections, added some coolant, and even filled up your wiper fluid. You were gettin' kinda low." He offered a rare, quick smile. "You can be on your way whenever you want."

Aang looked at the sky. "Well… it's already pretty dark, and I don't have many supplies. Do you think maybe I could stay over for the night and stock up on some food and stuff before I leave?"

Katara nodded enthusiastically. "You can sleep on the couch," she said. "It's a sleeper. I'm sure my uncle and Gran-Gran won't mind." The girl pulled Aang aside and whispered into his ear, "My brother and father, however, are a totally different story."

They both giggled like kids. Sokka shot them a funny look, but decided to let it go. "So. I guess you're staying at our place until morning then, huh?" It was a statement, but he didn't sound happy about it. Not at all.

"Yep!" Katara said cheerfully. She grabbed Aang's hand and rushed him inside. "Here, let me show you around."

--

The tour didn't take long. After a short conversation with the Kuruk family, Aang was accepted as an overnight guest and slept comfortably all night on the couch. Uncle Bato and Hakoda shared a room, as did Sokka and Katara. Gran-Gran got her own, since she was growing old and needed the space more, anyway.

Unfortunately, the morning that Aang was scheduled to leave was also the exact time Hakoda and Bato were scheduled to head to the Air Force Base. From there, they would get their instructions and fly to wherever placement they were to be stationed this time around. Sokka was a mixture of anger, sadness, and regret as he, Katara, and Gran-Gran stood on the porch waving goodbye to them. Their parting had been tearful for the women, but Sokka prided himself in the fact that he did not shed a single tear.

"Goodbye, Dad," Katara said softly from her place beside him. "We'll see you soon." Crystalline tears poured down her cheeks as she watched her father leave their broken little family for the second time in her life.

Sokka and Katara stood awkwardly beside each other, watching emotionally as the ancient station wagon bumped and jostled its way down the road in the early morning sun.

"He's gone," Sokka stated blandly. Katara stared blankly at the space where the station wagon had been just a few moments ago.

"Yes," she replied softly, "he is."

There was a soft pause before Sokka said, "Aang's going to do the same thing, you know."

"What?" she choked.

Her brother's icy gaze never left the road. "Leave us… leave you when you need him the most."

Katara looked at him in a mixture of horror and wonder. "How can you say such awful things about him like that?"

Sokka turned to look at his sister for the first time that morning. "I've seen how you look at him, Katara, and I've seen how he looks at you. I know you two have… something. I don't know what it is yet, but it's really special. And if that boy Aang were smart, he wouldn't be leaving right now! He'd stay here with you, so he could make you happy!" By the end of his speech, Sokka was speaking angrily and loudly.

The girl tried to hold back her tears. "You're wrong!" she insisted. "I don't have anything with him. He's a nice guy but a total stranger! How could I feel anything for him?! Besides, it's not about me! I'm not selfish, like you are!" She shoved a finger into his chest, and he batted it away quickly. "I know that it's about him, and if he wants to leave, then he can!" she nearly screamed.

"I am not selfish!" he roared back. "Everything I've done is to protect you, to help you! Dear God, I love you, Katara, and the worst part is, I shouldn't even need to say that! Maybe if you paid more attention to what was going on instead of just running around listening to your iPod and frolicking in your make-believe land of ponies and happy endings, you'd be able to see that!"

Tears poured down Katara's face. "If you loved me, you wouldn't be shouting at me! In fact, if you loved me half as much as I have taken care of you in the past, we wouldn't even be having this conversation!" Sokka was taken aback, and took a small step backwards. Katara took advantage of this to slam her accusations into his face. "And you know what else? I've been doing all the work around here for the past seven years. Seven. Years! If you would just get off your lazy butt and start pulling your weight instead of playing 'Super-Mechanic' in the garage all day, maybe you'd be able to see that!" She took a breath, preparing for the ultimate crack-down. Katara's voice was now shaky and much softer, but it still shook with the same intensity as before.

"You try… so hard to be like Dad. Be a soldier, be a disciplinarian, be a fighter. But you're not, Sokka, you're just not. In fact, you're everything Dad isn't. You're so busy trying to get him to notice you that you forget the people who actually need you to be there. Everything you do is to get him to be proud of you, but if he knew who you really were, the real Sokka under all that crap, he would not be proud at all. He would be mortified at what you have become."

And with that, Katara spun on her heel, emotions running high and tears pouring down. Maybe if she had taken a moment to look him in the eye, she would see the terrible loneliness and anguish she had caused rising to the surface. But she didn't. So she saw nothing.

Her mind remembered what her brother had said about Aang. "No," she repeated softly, "you're wrong."

Even though, deep down, she knew he was right.

--

The morning was early and chilly for this time of year. The sun was barely up, which was rare for the middle of summer, but it was up nonetheless. Aang took a few moments to wipe the chilly droplets of dew away before loading the last of his supplies into the bed of his truck. He wiped his hands on his pants and jumped down nimbly. Katara, Sokka, and Gran-Gran were standing there, ready to say goodbye again.

"Well," Aang started, "thank you so much. You all have been so kind to me, and I will never forget you." As he turned to go, the dark-skinned girl rushed over to him and enveloped him in a hug.

"I'll miss you," she muttered into his ear. Aang blushed considerably.

"And I'll miss you, too," he said honestly. As he held Katara, he felt such a connection with these people. He was only thirteen, but he knew a good family and great individuals when he saw them. The young boy was also especially fond of the girl. Her ocean blue eyes were so endearing, and her words were always caring and kind. Even her reprimands were said with the best intentions at heart. As the two pulled apart, Aang couldn't help but feel regret well up inside of his heart. He really didn't want to leave so soon, but he didn't really have a choice.

He had to go. And they had to stay.

He climbed into his old, rusty truck, and with a final wave to the family that had shown him so much kindness, he slowly drove away along the old dirt road. He felt guilty, too. Those people were his friends, and they really deserved to know the truth. He knew if a strange boy way too young to drive pulled up into his home town, he would've been equally as curious. But he didn't tell them a single thing, and for some reason, they didn't press the issue further. Aang sighed and gripped the steering wheel, not really caring where the road took him.

Maybe… someday… he would be able to see them again. See the old woman who had learned too much; the young boy who tried so hard to live up to expectations too large for him to fill; and the girl with chocolate brown hair, blue eyes, dark skin, and a talent for loving people. Even someone like him.

--

The hole in Katara's heart grew with every passing second she saw that old truck drive away. She couldn't take it anymore—her only friend, the only person she had ever met who was genuine… not even her own family was genuine anymore… and he just left. She didn't try to stop him. Her only chance for freedom, for love, and adventure was gone. Just like that.

Katara eventually passed out in her bed from emotional exhaustion.

The dark girl awoke with a start. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up, listening for any sort of noise that could've awoken her. She didn't normally wake up randomly in the middle—

Thump. A quiet whisper.

Crick. Another, sharper whispering noise.

Katara was on full alert now. Someone was in their house… She quietly padded out of bed and down the hall, trying to use her ear to determine where the noise was coming from. All was silent, except for the cacophony of the nocturnal summer orchestra outside. She paused and stilled her breath, hoping for the slightest of noises; but her heart was thumping so loudly in her ears, she doubted she could hear it, anyway.

Then she heard it—the soft scritch scritch of someone moving metal against wood. It was coming from the living room. Quietly, softly, with her heart thumping loudly and eyes wide, she crept down the stairs into the living room. A short silhouette was rustling around the room, bending over the sofa and sticking their hands down the seat cushions. Katara's heartbeat spiked. Quickly, she slid into a defensive Tae Kwon Do stance. "Who are you?" she demanded with much more confidence than she had.

The silhouette looked startled, but came over to her. She backed up against the wall. "Get out of my house!" she hissed.

"Katara," a familiar voice said, "it's me."

The girl gasped in surprise. "Aang?"

She saw him nod. Then he said, "I'm so sorry I had to sneak into your house, but… I think I forgot something when I slept here last night." As if to prove his point, Aang walked around to the sofa and began moving some of the cushions once again.

Katara placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head to the side. "You didn't really leave anything here, did you?" she said softly.

Aang straightened up and sighed, knowing he had been caught. "No," he whispered. "I didn't."

She walked up to him slowly. "Then what did you come here for?"

He gulped. "A proper goodbye."

"And just what would that include?" the girl said breathily.

The boy leaned in closer towards her. "Mmm not sure," he mumbled incoherently.

Katara leaned in, too, close enough to feel his hot breath across her face. She shivered. Then, without warning, she leaned in and wrapped him in a huge hug. "Don't leave again," she muttered into his shoulder.

"I won't," he whispered to her, returning the hug.

She pulled back to look at him in the dim lighting. "Where are you going from here?"

Aang shrugged. "I don't know," he said simply.

Katara's grin was enormous. "That sounds amazing. Let me come with you."

Her friend gasped. "What? No! I could never ask you to do that to your family."

Katara shook her dark head. "Relax. My brother and Gran-Gran can take care of themselves. They might miss me, but they know I love them unconditionally. Besides," she added, "we can always come back later."

Aang was still hesitant. "Well…" he started slowly. "That's true." Then suddenly, he grinned. "OK. You can sit in the front seat, but you'll have to fight Momo for it."

"Momo?"

"Oh, sorry," Aang said. "Momo's my cat. He travels with me everywhere."

"A cat… who likes to travel?" Katara sounded incredulous.

"Yup," he said excitedly. "You can meet him soon, too. But first you have to go change. Grab a bag of stuff and let's get outta here."

Katara nodded and raced up the stairs as quietly as she could. As soon as she had changed into some jean capris and a ruffly blue top, she stuffed some extra clothes, her jewelry box, and a lot of extra money into her backpack. Coming back downstairs, she said to Aang, "Let's hurry up and get out of here before someone wakes up."

A gravelly voice stopped the two in their tracks. "Just what do you think you're doing, Katara?"

The girl whirled around to see Sokka standing in the shadows. "S-Sokka? What are you…?"

The boy crossed his arms. "If you think you can leave, just like that, Katara, you're wrong."

Katara frowned and stood her ground. "No, Sokka, you're wrong. Aang is offering me something I've never had before."

"So what, you'd rather go with him than stay here? With your own family?"

She paused. "…Uh…"

Sokka's icy voice cut through the darkness. "Don't try to explain yourself, Katara," he snapped. "I know the reason you're going."

Katara really didn't know what to say. She floundered before finally finding ground. "He needs a family," she said simply.

Sokka stepped out of the shadows for a moment into the dim shading of twilight. For the first time, Katara noticed her brother was fully clothed in his blue-trimmed shirt and cargo shorts. A large duffel bag was slung over one shoulder. The dark girl felt her breath hitch in her throat as she looked at her brother. "What…?"

The grin on Sokka's face couldn't have gotten any larger. "If you're going," he said, "then let me come with you."

Post Author's Notes: Sorry about so much drama. It seems like it's the only thing I can write. Eeh. Please tell me if you want this story to continue.

If there are any plot points / characters / ideas you would like to see in here, feel free to say something. I'm willing to put anything in here you want, even rival ships! We could go Zutara, or we could go Kataang. It's all up to you guys. Please vote and send me your comments.