Nirvana
All day she had been giving him looks that made him feel like...
Like reaching nirvana would only make things worse. Somehow, here in this tea shop with his new family, he felt both intensely elated and calm all at the same time. Something with Katara had changed. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it had to be good, making him feel the way it did.
With an absent mind, Aang rolled his hands in the air, forming a small sphere of swirling air. He grinned lazily as he spun it around on his finger, and laughed when Momo tackled it from the air. After forming another ball, Aang played with Momo and listened to his new friend Iroh play some relaxing melody on his tsungi horn. Fire Lord Zuko, taking a much needed break from his first diplomatic mission to Ba Sing Se, dressed in humble clothing and served tea to the people he had come to love. Katara looked up from watching a game between Suki and Mai, and she gave him that look.
All was well with the world.
“Zuko, stop moving! I'm trying to capture the moment!” Sokka cried before looking down at his work, “I wanted to do a painting, so we always remember the good times together.”
“That's very thoughtful of you, Sokka,” replied Katara as she walked to his side. Immediately, her expression turned to annoyance, “Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?”
“Those are your hair loopies!”
“At least you don't look like a boarcupine!” cried Zuko, “My hair's not that spiky!”
Aang got on his feet, grinning from ear to ear as he listened to his friends bicker playfully. He walked out the door and down the stairs of the Jasmine Dragon. Outside was the sunset, and though there was a lot that he didn't like about Ba Sing Se, looking over it now, it was beautiful.
It was just a moment later that he heard her walk to his side. He looked over at her, and she was giving him that look again. He was oblivious as to its meaning and equally oblivious to the fact that his face was covered by the same expression.
He sighed happily as Katara wrapped her arms around him. He could stand there all day, but Katara had other ideas. She let go, and Aang contentedly looked back toward the city. However, Katara was not done. She turned him back toward him, and suddenly he knew what she was going to do to him. He leaned forward slightly, and she kissed him.
She pulled away several long seconds later, and in his disoriented state, Aang figured it wasn't quite long enough. He was oh so happy, yet it didn't prevent a hint of fear and doubt from sneaking in from the back of his mind. He had to say something, anything.
“Um, you're hair loopies are looking nice today,” he blurted out just before his face turned bright red. Katara tried, and ultimately failed, to suppress her laughter.
Idiot! Why am I such an idiot?
Aang, drawing upon every ounce of his good Air Nomad humor, managed a slight smile as he said, “Actually, that's not what I wanted to say.”
Katara squeezed Aangs shoulder sympathetically, “What are you thinking, Aang?”
“I'm thinking that I'm sorry about the way I behaved during that horrible play,” Aang replied, smiling in rueful irony, “and I'm thinking that I'm a bit confused.” Katara looked down for a moment, her own regret overt on her face.
“I've never felt this way before, and I'm not really sure what it means,” she looked back up at him, “but now that we have all the time in the world, I'd like us to figure it out together.”
“Ok,” Aang said. And then he pulled her in for a kiss, and they stayed like that for a good minute. When they finally pulled away and turned back toward the Jasmine Dragon, they were surprised to see all of their friends standing just up the steps. Sokka gave his sister The Grin of No Good, and began to clap. The rest of them followed his lead. Katara turned red with embarrassment, but Aang only laughed and kissed Katara right on the lips with an exaggerated smack.
Aang could definitely get used to that. The monks had taught him to avoid selfish love (and his was of the most selfish kind) and other attachments and delusions in order to achieve nirvana and perhaps even enlightenment. Being the Avatar, Aang could never in good conscience reach enlightenment. There were times when this had bothered him. But now, he realized that sometimes it was worth it. Whatever suffering would come, would come.
And he would have no regrets.
Like reaching nirvana would only make things worse. Somehow, here in this tea shop with his new family, he felt both intensely elated and calm all at the same time. Something with Katara had changed. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it had to be good, making him feel the way it did.
With an absent mind, Aang rolled his hands in the air, forming a small sphere of swirling air. He grinned lazily as he spun it around on his finger, and laughed when Momo tackled it from the air. After forming another ball, Aang played with Momo and listened to his new friend Iroh play some relaxing melody on his tsungi horn. Fire Lord Zuko, taking a much needed break from his first diplomatic mission to Ba Sing Se, dressed in humble clothing and served tea to the people he had come to love. Katara looked up from watching a game between Suki and Mai, and she gave him that look.
All was well with the world.
“Zuko, stop moving! I'm trying to capture the moment!” Sokka cried before looking down at his work, “I wanted to do a painting, so we always remember the good times together.”
“That's very thoughtful of you, Sokka,” replied Katara as she walked to his side. Immediately, her expression turned to annoyance, “Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?”
“Those are your hair loopies!”
“At least you don't look like a boarcupine!” cried Zuko, “My hair's not that spiky!”
Aang got on his feet, grinning from ear to ear as he listened to his friends bicker playfully. He walked out the door and down the stairs of the Jasmine Dragon. Outside was the sunset, and though there was a lot that he didn't like about Ba Sing Se, looking over it now, it was beautiful.
It was just a moment later that he heard her walk to his side. He looked over at her, and she was giving him that look again. He was oblivious as to its meaning and equally oblivious to the fact that his face was covered by the same expression.
He sighed happily as Katara wrapped her arms around him. He could stand there all day, but Katara had other ideas. She let go, and Aang contentedly looked back toward the city. However, Katara was not done. She turned him back toward him, and suddenly he knew what she was going to do to him. He leaned forward slightly, and she kissed him.
She pulled away several long seconds later, and in his disoriented state, Aang figured it wasn't quite long enough. He was oh so happy, yet it didn't prevent a hint of fear and doubt from sneaking in from the back of his mind. He had to say something, anything.
“Um, you're hair loopies are looking nice today,” he blurted out just before his face turned bright red. Katara tried, and ultimately failed, to suppress her laughter.
Idiot! Why am I such an idiot?
Aang, drawing upon every ounce of his good Air Nomad humor, managed a slight smile as he said, “Actually, that's not what I wanted to say.”
Katara squeezed Aangs shoulder sympathetically, “What are you thinking, Aang?”
“I'm thinking that I'm sorry about the way I behaved during that horrible play,” Aang replied, smiling in rueful irony, “and I'm thinking that I'm a bit confused.” Katara looked down for a moment, her own regret overt on her face.
“I've never felt this way before, and I'm not really sure what it means,” she looked back up at him, “but now that we have all the time in the world, I'd like us to figure it out together.”
“Ok,” Aang said. And then he pulled her in for a kiss, and they stayed like that for a good minute. When they finally pulled away and turned back toward the Jasmine Dragon, they were surprised to see all of their friends standing just up the steps. Sokka gave his sister The Grin of No Good, and began to clap. The rest of them followed his lead. Katara turned red with embarrassment, but Aang only laughed and kissed Katara right on the lips with an exaggerated smack.
Aang could definitely get used to that. The monks had taught him to avoid selfish love (and his was of the most selfish kind) and other attachments and delusions in order to achieve nirvana and perhaps even enlightenment. Being the Avatar, Aang could never in good conscience reach enlightenment. There were times when this had bothered him. But now, he realized that sometimes it was worth it. Whatever suffering would come, would come.
And he would have no regrets.
