A/N- So I decided to get inspiration for the "Republic City that isn't quite Republic City yet" bits of this by watching some Korra AMVs. Except then I found a really awesome one set to "He Lives In You" from The Lion King and there was Korra and Tenzin and Aang and big statues and ASKIJSKESFISHFVXKQRF MY BBY IS DEAD WHYYYYYYY... So I'm just feeling very sentimental and I kind of want to hug Aang and never let him go because then he won't be dead. It's one of those moments where I almost wish that I had any ability whatsoever to demarcate between reality and fiction, because then I wouldn't be so full of FEELINGSSSSSSSS... and I think some of my genocide!feels from the last chapter of Fireflight kinda leaked into this, too... erk. Characters, y u no do what I was actually planning?

The new Air Temple was situated on a large island raised from beneath the nameless bay by the Avatar himself. The island was in view of three of the former colonies, collectively known as the Hu Xin Province by the Fire Nation and the Han-Di Canton by the Earth Kingdom, which surrounded the head of the bay. The three small cities had grown from their humble beginnings almost a century earlier, growing in both wealth and size until they began to blend together at the edges. Being a commercial center almost large enough to rival Omashu, the ex-colonies had become an unofficial hub for political activity in the brand new United Republic.

It wasn't the geopolitical significance of the area that had Ty Lee bouncing up and down like an overexcited gopher-squirrel, however. That honor went to the view.

She was standing at the rail of the ferry as it made steady progress across the sparkling waters of the bay, eyes gleaming and practically trembling with excitement. She exclaimed over every new and exciting thing she spotted, taking in the experience with a sense of wonderment and enthusiasm that was entirely her own. Teo, for his part, fondly watched her watching the landscape.

While most of the people flocking to the city for the celebration commemorating the founding of the new Air Nation were staying in the city on the bay, a select few had been invited to stay on the newly-christened Air Temple Island itself. These included a handful of the most important dignitaries from the other three nations, as well as the Avatar's personal friends. Teo and Ty Lee were among this lucky company, and as such were being ferried across the water to join their other friends on the grand rocky island.

Ty Lee had captured most of Teo's attention with the way she had climbed up onto the metal rail and was standing there with her face to the wind and her grey eyes sparkling in the morning sun, completely oblivious to the sway of the boat as the waves rocked it, balance perfect as always. But what little attention he could spare from her, he devoted to watching the temple as it slowly grew larger in his field of vision.

The island itself was beautiful. It was formed of gorgeous white and grey granite that Aang had raised from beneath the bay, and although the little land mass was only a few months old, it was visibly covered with lush grass and little trees.

And as for the temple... well. It occupied only a fourth of the island, but it was grand and lovely. The architecture was markedly different from both the Northern and Western Air Temples, with which Teo was familiar. From what he'd been told, it was more akin to the Eastern Air Temple in design, beautifully wrought of wood and stone and featuring a single grand spire which rose gracefully into the blue autumn sky. Teo couldn't make out the details clearly from this distance. but he'd seen the blueprints at various stages over the last year and a half when Aang had consulted his father about particular details, and he knew for a fact that the whole temple was a work of art. With a wry shake of his head, Teo thought that no one but Aang could have pulled it off in such a short amount of time. One thing was for certain: the Avatar's gift for making talented and loyal friends wherever he went had certainly worked in his favor in this instance.

Ty Lee had ceased her high-wire wanderings for the most part (well, if you counted pausing upside-down while standing on her hands to stare at the temple "ceasing"). It seemed that her excitement over the sights had subsided into a rare quiet awe. "It's really amazing, isn't it?"

"It really is," Teo agreed.

Meanwhile, on the island, in the high spire of the temple, Aang was staring out the window at the approaching ferry. A casual observer would have thought the sixteen-year-old Avatar was actually watching what he was looking at. To the casual observer, he appeared calm, perhaps even a little excited for what was coming in the days ahead.

Katara was not a casual observer. She had been watching him from the doorway for a few minutes, taking in the sight of him. She knew him so well after so many years together- well, perhaps not so terribly many, really, but she had known him for four years and loved him for most of that time and could read him like an open page. Despite the placid expression on his face she took notice of the slight furrowing of his eyebrows, the nervous tapping of one long, graceful index finger against the marble. Something was on his mind.

Not that she needed to look at him now to know that. She had known when Aang had suddenly vanished over an hour ago from the bustle of preparation going on downstairs.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Have you been here this whole time?"

Aang jumped a foot in the air and whirled around with a startled look on his face, further confirmation that he was out of sorts, because she had been sure he would have sensed her through the gift of earth-sight Toph had taught him.

"Katara!" he exclaimed. "I didn't-"

"You really are distracted," she interrupted him, chuckling. She crossed the little octagonal room in a few steps to join him at the window.

He looked back out the window, and she was amused to see an embarrassed flush creep across his face at having been caught off-guard so easily. "How long were you standing there?"

"Only a couple minutes. You disappeared awhile back, and I got worried."

He nodded mutely, his gaze trained on some spot in the distance.

"Who's on the ferry?" she asked softly.

"I'm not sure. Zuko and Mai aren't supposed to arrive until tomorrow, and neither are most of the dignitaries from the other nations."

"Well, Sokka and Suki are already here, and so are Haru and his family."

"Hm. Must be everybody else, then," he said with a forced chuckle.

Silence fell between them and it quickly became apparent that, as usual, Aang wasn't going to talk on his own.

Katara wrapped her arms around his torso from behind in a familiar, affectionate embrace. He was getting so tall now that she could only just barely rest her chin on his shoulder the way she used to. She could feel immediately how tense his muscles were, something that hadn't been immediately obvious to her observation but which she felt clearly now, with every inch of their bodies pressed so close together. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing important," he assured her, perhaps a little too quickly. "I just... needed some space to breathe."

She hummed sympathetically, holding him a little closer. "I know this whole celebration must be bittersweet for you," she said softly.

He sighed and leaned his head against her own. "I guess it is," he said. "I'm... happy. I am. The official founding of a new Air Nation is a good thing, and a big step in restoring the balance of the world. But..."

"But you miss it," she filled in for him, when he seemed to falter. "You miss them. No matter what we do, no matter how well you teach the Acolytes the ways of your people, it's not going to be the same."

"No. It isn't."

He was silent after that, but Katara knew him well enough to know that he was struggling with himself, with whether or not to say what was on his mind. Aang was a naturally effusive person when it came to positive things. He never hesitated to share a good mood. With his negative emotions, however, it was harder. Although anyone could clearly see his feelings written across his expressive face, he had a difficult time actually verbalizing his anger or sadness. Even with her, he found it hard to share those kinds of feelings. With anyone else, it was next to impossible. She was pretty sure that, ironically enough, Zuko was the only other person Aang felt comfortable talking to about those kinds of things. She had often wondered if that was an Air Nomad thing or an Aang thing. She suspected that it was a little of both. And so she waited patiently while he struggled with himself.

Finally, he said softly, "Sometimes I forget. Sometimes when I wake up in the morning, it takes me a few minutes to remember that it's all gone. For just a little bit, I still think I'm going to get to make pies with Gyatso again, or race Choden around the temple to try to prove who's really the fastest. And then I remember, and-"

He stopped very abruptly when his voice broke on the last word, betraying how close he was to tears. Her heart aching, Katara buried her face against his shoulder.

"I guess it's really been hitting me lately," Aang continued when he had collected himself. "It was easier when it was just teaching the Acolytes the philosophy. But dedicating a new temple, officially declaring the Acolytes as part of my nation... I guess it just makes it real."

"Oh sweetie," she whispered against his skin. "I wish I could fix it. I wish I could make this better for you."

Suddenly, he turned around in her arms, and his hands were on her shoulders and he was looking at her so intently. "But you do," he said. "You do make it better." When she scoffed, he pressed on, "No, I'm serious. Katara, I wouldn't be able to handle this without you. I wouldn't be able to stand it. Being with you... it makes everything else okay."

"I love you," she told him, because she didn't know what else to say.

Aang kissed her, fierce and intense and needy, and she responded in kind. One of his hands was in her hair, the other low on her waist, and her arms were still protectively around his torso. Katara tilted her head, changing the angle of the kiss and deepening it. She felt the airbender in her arms tremble in response. He teased at her lips with his tongue, but before she could open to him, he broke the kiss and just hugged her.

"Have I told you lately how happy I am that you chose me?" he whispered.

"I don't know how much choice was involved," she said, with a smile that she hid against his chest. "You went ahead and made me fall for you and after that there wasn't a whole lot I could do to change it."

Aang chuckled and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I hope so."

"Welcome to Air Temple Island! You must be Teo and Ty Lee!"

Teo blinked in surprise. He honestly hadn't been anticipating being greeted by name by a complete stranger the moment they disembarked the ferry. But a quick glance around the dock showed him that all their fellow passengers, some of whom he recognized and most of whom he did not, were being greeted in a similar fashion by the members of a little group of Air Acolytes who had come down to meet the ferry.

The young woman who had greeted them was pretty, obviously of Earth Kingdom ancestry if her soft emerald eyes were anything to judge by. She was very petite with a round, open face, and her long brown hair was bound into two loose braids which hung over her shoulders. Teo judged her to be in her early twenties. Like the other Acolytes, she was dressed in the traditional robes in shades of gold and salamander orange preferred by the Air Nomads of old.

"My name is Ananta," she said. "I'm here to escort you to your quarters. Avatar Aang had intended to greet you all himself, but unfortunately he has been... otherwise detained this morning."

Teo raised his eyebrows in a sly look shot at Ty Lee, who giggled in response. Aang was typically extremely reliable, and there was only one person who could distract him enough to prevent him from greeting his friends when they arrived.

"Two guesses where he is," Teo mouthed at her. She giggled again.

"Well look who it is," a voice interrupted suddenly. Ty Lee went a bit pale.

A quick glance up to the top of the dock near the shore revealed an auburn-haired girl in a striking green and all-too-familiar warrior's outfit. There was no mistaking the legendary Suki, one of the members of the Avatar's band of his closest comrades and one of the heroes of the Battle of the Airships. And, up until about two years ago, she had been Ty Lee's commanding officer.

As Suki approached them, Ananta stepped back respectfully, giving them space to greet each other.

"How are you, Teo?" Suki asked warmly. "I haven't seen you in... must be going on a year now, right?"

"Something like that," he agreed. "Are things going well on Kyoshi?"

"We're still a bit swamped with the influx of refugees hoping for a fresh start after the war. My fellow warriors have their hands completely full and our ranks aren't quite as large as they used to be." She cut her eyes briefly to Ty Lee before returning her gaze back to Teo. "But we'll handle it. We've dealt with far worse crises than overpopulation before."

He dredged up a chuckle from somewhere at that, hoping to relieve the noticeably tense atmosphere between the two women. "Yes, I bet you have."

Suki turned her full attention to Ty Lee for the first time since her arrival. "So tell me, Ty Lee, how are you?"

"Um, fine," Ty Lee said, flushing red.

"And how is Haru? Have you two gotten married yet?"

"I, uh... well, you see-"

In all his time knowing her, Teo had never seen Ty Lee so flustered. He understood why, though. It wasn't hard to see that Suki had been disappointed, maybe personally hurt, when Ty Lee had chosen to abandon the Kyoshi Warriors for a man, and he was pretty sure they hadn't seen each other since then. If there was anything Ty Lee hated, it was feeling like she had let someone down. Worse, though, the man she had given up her life for had abandoned her in turn, and admitting to that was sure to be difficult. She was caught in an extremely awkward position, and Teo took it upon himself to help her out.

He reached over and took her hand, feeling her tense up in surprise as he did so. Teo couldn't help but feel a little thrill. It wasn't like he'd never touched Ty Lee before. She was a very physically affectionate person, which meant that all of her friends quickly lost their personal space, but there was something different about this. Even if it was only pretend, it was still an overtly romantic sort of gesture.

"Actually, Suki, Ty Lee is with me now," he said. Teo had never been a particularly good liar, but it was much easier to lie about things that he wished desperately were true.

Suki's eyebrows climbed up her forehead as she looked at the two of them. "Really?" she asked. "I never would've pegged you two as a likely couple."

Ty Lee, having recovered her composure, chimed in happily, "Well, you know how it is, Suki. The heart wants what it wants!" And with that, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to the stunned Teo's cheek.

Completely oblivious to the fact that she had just given her fake boyfriend a mini heart attack, Ty Lee beamed at Suki. "Well, it was really great to see you again, Suki, but we shouldn't keep poor Ananta here waiting any longer!" Looking to the waiting Acolyte, she said, "Thank you for being so patient, Ananta. You can take us to our room now."

A/N- Reviews are like oxygen. They fan the creative flames.