Yay! Moar Kataang! This is a prequelly sorta thing to Perfect. Hope you like it and let me know what you think!

If I get a lot of feedback, I'll probably write another Kataang fic :)

The Necklace

Tonight was the night. Aang had everything planned out. It had been two months since his 16th birthday, but three since he began work on the necklace. As he looked down at it, he was unsure what Katara would say. Had he made it right? Would she like it? He sighed and looked out across the sea, sparkling like a massive blanket covered in diamonds.

Aang woke up to the sun shining in his face through the window of his bedroom. The light cast a beautiful spectrum across the room as it refracted off the icy walls. He'd been staying in the Southern Water Tribe, which was more of a city now, Master Pakku and his students having renovated it before the end of the war. It had taken them a matter of months to raise the entire city from the sea it sat on. There was still minor maintenance and expansion here and there, but for the most part, the beautiful city was complete. He yawned and swung his feet out of bed, stretching and looking out the window with a smile. Yesterday, he'd gone to see Chief Hakoda.

"Aang! Please, come in." Hakoda greeted the young man standing at the door to the town hall.

"Uhh...thank you sir." Aang answered nervously as he stepped inside.

"Please Aang, call me Hakoda." He chuckled. He thought he'd broken Aang's habit of calling him that a while ago. "Please make yourself comfortable." He said gesturing towards a fur-covered couch and taking a seat across from him.

"Thanks." Aang said, rubbing the back of his head. How was he supposed to ask this? What if he screwed up?

"So, what can I do for you?" Hakoda asked with a smile.

"Well...I-I turn 16 in about a month...and uhh I was just wondering if maybe...if it's alright with you...if I..." Aang struggled to find the right words. He was about to ask this man to give him permission to marry his daughter. That wasn't something you just take lightly. He looked up, half expecting a scowl from the chief, but was surprised to see his grin had widened. His eyes warm and knowing.

"I was wondering when you'd ask." Hakoda said simply, still smiling.

"W-...what?" Aang stammered, completely caught by surprise. He had been mentally preparing for an argument.

"Aang, I hadn't seen Katara smile so much since before her mother died until the day you three found me. You make her happy. Not to mention, you're respectful and polite almost to a fault." He laughed. Aang simply chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "You're also the Avatar, so I know you can provide for and protect her. I really can't think of any young man I'd rather say this to." He paused for a second. "Aang, I give you my blessing." He said, clapping a heavy hand on Aang's shoulder.

Aang couldn't believe his ears. Had it really been that easy? "Thank you." Aang said, grinning from ear to ear. He reached out and took Hakoda's forearm as they stood, giving the Water Tribe handshake he'd seen Sokka share with his father before.

"Now I'm imagining you have some questions about our traditions?" Hakoda asked as he put an arm around Aang's shoulders and turned them towards the door.

As they walked through the streets of the city, Hakoda told him everything he needed to know from the betrothal necklace to the wedding itself.

Today, Aang was going to start work on the necklace. He was awake before everyone else, so he didn't have to worry about Katara asking where he was going and he knew Hakoda would cover for him if need be. This had to be a surprise. He got out of bed and dressed himself, almost leaving without his parka. He still forgot sometimes that he was in the South Pole. Heading out into the streets, he took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs. He'd always been a morning person.

He took off towards the market, greeting fellow early-risers he happened upon in the streets. He was glad the parka's hood covered up his tattoo well enough that no one would recognized him. As he came into view of the merchant stalls, he immediately set a path to the silk merchant. He knew exactly what he was looking for. He wanted every piece of this betrothal necklace to carry meaning. He wanted Katara to know that he had put all the thought and love he could into it.

"Good morning young man." The elderly shop owner greeted the avatar with a smile. "How can I help you?"

"I uhhh... I'm making a necklace." Aang mustered, unsure why this felt so awkward.
The sagacious old man gave him a grin. "I see. If you'd like, I can show you some fine quality silk strips right over here." He said, gesturing to a corner of the shop.

Aang followed him to the silk display. There were many bright and fantastic colors, but he knew exactly what he needed. "I'd like to see that one please." He said, pointing a fine strip of pearl-white silk. He liked the way the light caught on it and reflected, like moonlight on the ocean.

The old merchant smiled and handed him the piece. "You have refined taste, my friend. I cannot recall the amount of times I've seen a young man come in here to choose this 'special piece of silk' merely to settle on the first bright color to catch his eye."

"Ever heard of the Jasmine Dragon?" Aang asked, turning away from the silk to face the old man.

"Ahhh, of course, the tea shop in Bah Sing Se. I stopped in there a few times last month while I was in town on business." He looked contemplative for a moment. "Best tea I've ever had."

Aang smiled. "Well, it's sort of a special place for us." He said, knowing the old man had put the pieces together by now, judging by his coyness.

"Excellent. No part of a betrothal necklace should be chosen without meaning." The old man gave him a wide smile as they walked over to his counter. Aang handed him the money. The merchant placed it in his lockbox and looked back up at the young man. "I'm sure she'll love it." He said, trying to set this nice young man more at ease for the task ahead.

"Thank you." Aang said with a small bow as he turned and left the shop.

Now for the stone. Hakoda had told him you couldn't just buy the stone, you had to go out and find it. It was a "test of resolve and resourcefulness" he'd said. Aang knew he wanted a blue stone, the shade of Katara's beautiful eyes he loved so much. He lost himself for a moment thinking of his beloved and nearly walked into an elderly couple. He stumbled backwards to avoid colliding with them and lost his balance on the icy walkway, hurtling into a nearby stall. As he crashed into the wooden form, cabbages flew in every direction. As one landed in Aang's lap, he immediately regretted what he'd just done. He turned around to see the caggabe-seller's furious face.

"My cabbages!" The man screamed. He looked down at the culprit.

Aang gave him a nervous grin.

Something connected in the cabbage man's brain, like a light suddenly flicked on in a dark room. "YOU!" He yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Aang.

Aang bolted up and took off down the street, carried by his airbending. "Sorry!" He yelled as he quickly got out of the market.

He came within view of the house and stopped to catch his breath. He couldn't help but feel bad for the cabbage merchant. He was just always in the wrong place at the wrong time. He looked up at the house and tucked the silk into a fold in his robe. He walked through the door to find everyone else sitting down to breakfast.

"Aang!" Katara greeted him enthusiastically, getting up to give him a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Good morning." Aang replied, returning her warm embrace.

"How was your walk?" Katara asked as they walked back to the table.

Aang shot a quick glance at Hakoda, who simply nodded. "It was nice. I went down by the docks to get some air."

"Well, you must be hungy by now. Come have breakfast." Katara said, getting him a bowl of the stewed sea prunes she'd made. He wasn't really partial to stewed sea prunes, but Katara had prepared them, so he'd happily stomach the dish. He smiled as she brought the warm bowl over to him, just realizing how hungry he was.

After breakfast, he returned to his room and gently stashed the silk away somewhere safe so no one would find it. The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully, but Aang didn't mind. He cherished the times where he had no immediate duty or responsibility and he could just relax with the people he loved. Before he knew it, two weeks had passed.

With his birthday just around the corner, Aang knew he wouldn't be able to get much time to himself in the throes of the festivities everyone insisted upon each year. He had never been one for birthdays and the materialism they often brought on, being raised as a monk, but Katara and her family always insisted on throwing him a party. And what was an Avatar's birthday without all of the Southern Water Tribe there? His 13th birthday had been a small event after the war. Just Katara, Sokka, Toph, Hakoda, Kana and Aang, enjoying each other's company in their home. However, word had gotten out and on his 14th birthday, it became a public spectacle and on his 15th, they'd even had visitors from the Earth Kingdom. Aang enjoyed the atmosphere. How could he not? Everyone was always so happy and carefree, much like himself, but being at the center of all of it? He supposed he'd have to get used to it, being the Avatar and all, but still...

He set out one morning, intent on searching for a proper stone for the necklace. He didn't know where he was supposed to find one, but he figured there couldn't be that many places to find a rock around here since most everything was made of ice. Wrapped in a warm parka and some extra furs, he set out into the tundra. He could feel the earth deep beneath the snow and ice and figure he may find a cave or chasm to explore that may contain what he was looking for. After about an hour of trudging through the thick snow, Aang was ready to call it quits for the day. It was beginning to snow harder and he didn't want to get caught out there in a blizzard. Sighing, he looked out across the frozen wastes one more time. He turned and was about to lift his foot when the ground beneath him gave way. The snow and ice collapsed, opening into a massive underground cavern. He flipped and sent out a blast of air to slow his descent and distance the debris from himself. He landed and shook off the snow that had collected on his parka. What he saw when he lifted his head astounded him.

The cavern's walls were covered in beautifully sparkling clusters of blue stone of all shades. The light from the hole he'd made cast a spotlight effect on the center of the cavern where he stood, but stray light caught and reflected off the stones, casting the most spectacular light show he'd ever seen across the walls and floor. Aang realized his jaw had dropped and quickly shut his mouth.

"Wow" was all he could manage as he drifted towards one of the stone outcroppings. He put his hand out and touched them. He was surprised to find they were not cold as he had expected, being underground for who knew how long, but warm. He could feel a faint energy radiating from them.

He began to look for one of a certain shade. Katara's eyes. He didn't have to think hard to know exactly what shade of blue they were. He'd spent a good amount of time simply gazing into her eyes, admiring their infinite blue depths. He looked at a cluster and noticed the stones appeared to be opals. He saw one among them that glowed especially bright. It was the perfect shade, with milky white veins that looked like waves on the ocean. He reached out and gently extracted the stone from the wall with earthbending. It sat in the palm of his hand, small and almost perfectly elliptical. He smiled to himself and tucked it into his parka.

He looked back toward the hole in the ceiling of the cavern. He raised a staircase of earth from the floor, careful not to disturb any of the stones. He began to climb it when an idea struck him. He turned around and grinned, surveying the cave. He got back to the surface and left a column of snow nearby so he could find it again. He had work to do.

Now, a little over two months later, he sat on a cliff overlooking the sea, waiting for Katara. The frozen tundra behind him was calm. He thanked the spirits that it was such a clear night. He had been worried it might snow and ruin his plans.

A gentle hand on his shoulder shook him from his musings and he turned to look up. "Huh?"

"You wanted to meet me here?" Katara reminded him, smiling.

Aang jumped up and took her hand. "I have something to show you." He said with that excited grin he'd never grown out of.

"What is it Aang?" She asked, not sure what this was all about.

"A surprise." He said matter-of-factly with a laugh.

After a few minutes, Aang came into sight of the snow column he'd left a couple months ago and soon after, the intricate half-dome he'd constructed from the ice. The moon was full and lit the way, covering the snowy drifts in a soft white light.

They reached the caverns entrance and Katara turned to Aang. "What is this?" She asked excitedly.

"The surprise." Aang said, still grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't help but be a little proud of himself for all his work. The cavern had come out better than he'd expected. "Close your eyes." He said, still holding her hand.

She gave him a playfully suspicious grin and did as he asked. Aang waterbended the ice away that had been covering the entrance. He led Katara forward a few steps and stopped on the stone column he'd been using like an elevator to bend himself in and out of the cave. He shifted away more of the snow and ice, leaving a wide hole for the moonlight to pour in through. He lowered the platform and led Katara to the center of the cave.

She could here water rushing, like a stream or waterfall. It had gotten warmer too. "Aang where-"

"Open your eyes." He whispered to her.

She gasped, bringing her hands over her mouth. She looked all around her. There were clusters of blue stone all around them, bathing the massive cavern in a beautiful blue glow. The moonlight was focused to a point on the wall by the half dome Aang had constructed on the surface. The light struck the largest cluster of blue stones in the cave, which, in turn cast blue beams of light all across the cave, hitting all of the smaller clusters. Spots of light played across the walls, reflecting off of a small fountain that sat in the center of the cave, right next to them. She turned back to Aang, hands still to her mouth and eyes wide, to find him holding out a betrothal necklace to her.

"Katara," Aang started, surprising himself with how even his voice was, despite the pounding in his chest. "I love you more than anything in the world. Your smile. Your eyes. Your laugh. How you've always been there for me. And I want to be there for you...for the rest of my life." He noticed the tear rolling down her cheek. "Will you marry me?"

Katara thought she would burst. Her heart swelling with love for the young man before her. This was where he'd been going off to for the past two months. He'd been doing all this. For her. And now she knew he wanted them to spend the rest of their lives together. It was almost too much to take in. She slowly took the necklace in her hand and looked at the stone. It was the same shade as her eyes. It had wavy white lines that reminded her of the ocean. The carving was of a wave crashing on the beach, with a single cloud in the sky, pushed along by a gentle breeze. The silk was white and the softest she'd ever felt.

"White for the Jasmine Dragon." Aang said, noticing her running her thumb over the material.

She looked up at him with tears of joy in her eyes and a wide smile on her face. "Yes!" She said, leaping into his arms and holding him as close to her as she could. She kissed the top of his head and smiled down at him. Neither of them had ever been happier in their entire lives. Aang put her down and she handed him the necklace, taking off the one her mother had given her so many years ago. She pulled her hair to the side and let Aang fasten the necklace around her neck. She looked down at it, smiling as she felt the slight warmth emanating from the lovely stone. She looked up to see Aang still wearing his grin.

"It looks amazing on you." He said happily. It looked as if it belonged there.

"You're amazing Aang." Katara cupped his face in her hands and kissed him passionately, giving him all of her love and knowing that there were many more years of this bliss to come.