Nightfall

Thirty Three

Night had fallen yet again. Once it started getting dark, Iroh had all six of them pile into the dining room because, as he said, "they all needed to eat and be happy before the impending doom." Well, Katara thought the operation was doomed; Iroh didn't say that exactly, but she took it from his tone to put her own words into it. 

The closer they got to the siege, the more nervous she got. Her heart had picked up speed the longer she sat at the dining table, waiting for the food to be brought out. All the other people around were chatting merrily and laughing heartily, yet she remained quiet and withdrawn. No one seemed to notice that she wouldn't speak; they all were having too much fun. She didn't mind, though. She wanted to them to be happy once this was over, and this was the best way for them to find it.

She, on the other hand, didn't deserve happiness.

"What's on your mind?"

Katara glanced over at Aang, who had spoken to her. He had a worried look on his face as he gazed at her. He must have noticed how quiet she was. "A lot of things," she said truthfully. Her eyes flicked around, hoping that the others wouldn't listen to her. The rest of them were laughing at something Sokka said, so that was a good thing. "I'm terrified that this won't work and that we'll die and -"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Aang waved his hands around to make her stop talking. It worked, especially because it made her laugh slightly. He looked adorable like that, but she would never say that to him. "You need to calm down."

"I know that. It's just hard when you've been nervous for your whole life."

He touched her shoulder before sliding his hand down to her own one. A shiver ran down her spine at the soft touch. No one, besides her mother, had treated her like this. She missed it so much. 

"Everything will work out just fine," he said softly. "And if it doesn't, we'll fight again and again until it turns out right."

"We can't fight again if we're dead."

His laughter rung out into the night, but she was sure that the others didn't hear it over their own raucous laughter. "I know you think that, but that was funny, Katara," Aang said, shaking his head. "You need to get out of your anxiety and live a little. Things are much better than they seem, and sometimes it's hard to think like that, even with what's going on."

Katara frowned. "It is hard getting out of my head. I don't think I've ever done it before. Maybe when I was little and naive, but that's about it." Aang suddenly grabbed Katara's hand, drawing her close to him. He tugged her into one of the corners of the room where there wasn't much of anything, and she realized that there was soft music playing. "What are you doing?" she asked nervously. 

"I'm getting you out of your head." He flashed her a grin, making her heart thud against her chest. "Dance with me." Katara could only nod. "Follow my lead, alright?" She nodded again, not trusting her voice to work. 

Everything around her slowly disappeared as she swayed gently in the corner of the room. There was something so meaningful about dancing with a boy, and this time was not different. This dance reminded her of the ball at the Capital, but it was also different. It was just her and Aang, not any of those other boys. This time, it meant something. Right? 

The music was the only thing she could hear, besides the rushing of blood in her ears and the beating of her heart. The music was soft and sweet, a nice melody for her and Aang. It washed over her as her feet took her across the floor, following the boy she was dancing with. Katara wished she could be in this moment forever. 

Laughter bubbled out of her lips as Aang twirled her around and around. Her laughter rang through the air, and she saw a huge smile on Aang's face that made her so incredibly happy. A nice feeling started in her chest and then spread through to the rest of her body. Maybe she did deserve to get out of her head once in a while. Maybe she did need to be hopeful that a better day was coming. It shouldn't have taken a boy to show her that, but she was glad it did happen that way. Aang was the best person she could think of to show her that better days were ahead of them, and now she was ready to believe it. 

Aang held Katara close to his body. She could feel his chest brush hers when he breathed in and out, in and out. A seed of self-doubt wormed it's way into her head, though, making her open her eyes. She was surprised to see that everyone was staring at them. Sokka, especially, was staring at her and Aang, a strange look on his face. Iroh was there as well, but he was chatting softly with Lu Ten. 

Katara stopped moving, taking a step away from Aang. He looked at her with a worried glance, but she gave him a smile. "Thank you for the dance, Aang. It was amazing." His face broke out into a big smile, warming her up from the inside out. "I think we're needed over there now, though."

He nodded, strolling over to the group. While they were dancing, the group had switched around seats, probably giving some space for Iroh. He sat down next to Suki and Toph, which meant that Katara had to sit in between Lu Ten and Sokka. She was not happy that she'd be sitting next to her brother, but she pushed those bad feelings aside. She was done feeling bad for herself. 

"I'm glad everyone is here now," Iroh said, his voice soft but firm. "I wanted to talk to you guys before you eat your final meal in this old world." Iroh stood at the head of the table so he could get a better view of all of them. "In a matter of hours, we will be standing in the rubble of past. Everything around us will be destroyed, but we will be ready to rebuild for a better future." His gaze traveled around to each member of the group in front of him, taking them in for who they were. "Each of you is here for a reason. Though I may not know why for some of you, I know that you all want what I want: a peaceful future where everyone, no matter who they are, may live long, full lives."

Katara couldn't help but smile. Iroh had a way of making her feel even more hopeful for the journey ahead of them. It would be terrifying, yes, but it would turn out alright. She knew that she wasn't guaranteed tomorrow, so she would make up for it today and not miss out on any more chances. Not again, not ever. 

At least, she hoped she wouldn't fall back into her old habits and listen to the lies in her mind again. It had only been a few minutes since she decided not to listen to what was going on in her mind. Her mind was very insistent on the lies it told, so it would be definitely difficult to ignore. But she had to do it. She just had to.

Bato, along with a few other people, walked into the dining room, each carrying trays of food. They set the trays down in the center of the table so the group could pass the food around to each other, family style. 

"Enjoy your meal," Bato said once him and the other few people walked over to the door. He offered them all a smile. "May it bring you luck to your journey ahead."

It remained silent in the dining room for a few seconds until Sokka said, "Suki, pass me the meat. I'm starving!"

And just like that, the tension was broken. A sense of happiness fell onto Katara. She knew that these people all wanted to create a better future, whether it be for themselves or for the generations after them. Though it was a terrifying thought to bring down a corrupt government, she knew they could do it. The world needed them, and Katara, for one, was ready to fulfill that need.