Love's Bloom (ATLA Fanfic)

Part 1 - Aang - Sunlight

Warm sunlight streamed through hazy clouds as Appa lowed softly. His soft fur pressed against my back as I rolled over, rubbed my eyes open and yawned widely.

"Good morning sleepy head," a melodious voice laughed. I grinned widely as she walked towards me, her eyes shining.

"Morning Katara," I replied.

"Are you ready for more waterbending practice?" Katara smiled and I felt my heart skip. Ever since we kissed before the day of black sun invasion, she was all I could think about. Well, her and having to risk my life to fight the fire Lord. But we hadn't spoken about the kiss since, and that conversation seemed much more daunting than any duel.

"I thought Zuko was teaching me firebending today," I replied.

"He was supposed to, but he and Sokka left on a fishing trip this morning and won't be back until tomorrow. Zuko left you some exercises though," she said as she passed me the note he left.

"Great," I groaned. "No one else has homework."  Katara laughed at my complaint and turned toward the stairs at the edge of the temple.

"It's okay Aang, c'mon" she waved me towards her, "Let's do something fun first. I've got a new waterbending move to show you!"

"Wait up!"

I ran after her, yelling hello to Toph and the others sitting by the fountain on my way by.

When our invasion of the fire nation failed, my friends and I had been forced to flee. The rest of our force was arrested, including Katara and Sokka's father. We were now hiding in the ruins of the Western Air Temple, rethinking our strategy and preparing for another attack. Fire Princess Azula had discovered our plan and warned her father, ruining our attempt to capture the capitol and stop the war while the firebenders were powerless during the eclipse. But now we have Zuko, Azula's brother and the Fire Prince, on our side, and he's been teaching me how to firebend so that when I finally face his father, I'll be ready. It's difficult, tiring work, but cooling off with Katara afterwards is always a plus.

There was something in the air today - I should know, being the last Airbender and all - and I was feeling confident. With Sokka and Zuko gone fishing and Toph busy sparring with the others, it looked like I had Katara all to myself. Maybe we could finally talk about the kiss! I was so busy daydreaming that I almost bumped right into Katara who stopped suddenly in front of me.

"Whoah!" I exclaimed, reeling.

"We're here," she turned to me, glowing. There, at the bottom of the stairs, between towering pillars of stone, lay a small grove and the weathered remains of an ancient garden. We stood there side by side, in awe of the sight before us.

Flowers spilled from every corner, covering the ground in rich shades of blue, violet, indigo, and yellow, an ocean of color and beauty. A soft breeze sent ripples through the blooms, swirling their sweet scent towards us. Resting at the center of the garden lay a silver pond, impossibly still and reflecting the tangled vines that twisted above us.

My sharp intake of air broke the stillness and Katara smiled. "Isn't it beautiful," she sighed happily. But the garden paled next to her.

"Yes," I murmured, "you are."