The One That Got Away | Kataang

Chapter 4- Finding Solace

The funeral just ended and Aang was going to say hello to his friends. "Aang! It's so good to see buddy" It was fire lord Zuko who went first to hug him. "Yeh Aang! We've missed you so much, where the hell have you been?" Suki said with an angry tone but still joined the hug. "I really don't want to talk about this right now. it was so horrible and with everything that is happening in my life right now, I want to stay focused on positive things only" Aang answered. It was true, he wanted to be happy again, he wanted to be able to laugh and find peace in life, and thinking about all the traumatic experiences he had to go through wouldn't help to do that. Maybe in the future, he could bring himself to think or even talk about Arashi, but for now, he just wanted to stay positive.

Aang saw at the corner of his eye that Katara stood behind Zuko, Suki, and Toph who were by his side, keeping her distance. She stood there watching him. He noticed that she wanted to get closer, but she didn't do that. He wasn't surprised by this. He was harsh on her the last time they talked, she wanted to comfort him, and he pushed her away from him in return. However, Aang was surprised that Sokka hadn't come to say hello yet, he stood next to Katara and Tai, keeping his distance from Aang as well. Sure, he was Katara's brother, and he probably was mad at him for disappearing, but still, they were best friends, even more than that, they were like brothers, or at least they used to be. Truth be said, Aang felt like he needed Sokka the most, he wanted his best friend back and couldn't afford to lose him, he couldn't lose anyone else, Katara and Bumi were more than enough.

Without noticing he was staring at Sokka for a while. He quickly pushed himself out of this when he noticed Katara elbowing Sokka and glaring at him angrily like she was saying to him to go and talk with Aang. Aang saw that Sokka wasn't that enthusiastic to go there, but he did anyway. They really haven't changed, after all these years Katara still mothered Sokka. "Hi Aang" Sokka said reluctantly. "Hi" Aang answered a little embarrassed by the situation. Toph hit Sokka in the head, annoyed by his treatment of Aang. "Look Aang, I'm happy to see that you are okay and all, but I'm also mad at you. How could you disappear like that? Do you know how we were without you? You broke all of us, but most of all you broke my sister, and not just her heart, I mean you broke all of her, she was a walking dead without you. So don't expect me to be all Lovey-dovey right now" Sokka said. He was angry at his friends. How could they be so welcoming? Aang hurt all of them! "Sokka stop it! None of us know what Aang has been through! And we are definitely not going to judge him for disappearing, he had his reasons and what's important right now is that he is back and well" Suki said to her fiancé. She was mad at him, on their way from the South Pole they talked about this, and he said that he would be patient with Aang. "Whatever" Sokka mumbled and got back to his sister.

"Sorry about him" Suki apologized "That's fine" answered Aang unfocused. He was thinking about what Sokka said, 'You broke all of her, she was a walking dead without you'. He couldn't believe how much Katara was hurt, he imagined that she must have missed him, but stop living without him around? Was he really that important to her? Did she used to love him that much? But all of this is not important right now, she moved on, she has a new love, and as much as it was hard for him to acknowledge that, he didn't want to come between them, he wanted her happy and if Tai is the answer for this, so be it. "Hey Aang, is everything okay?" Asked the fire lord. " Yes, yes, I'm fine...it's just been a long day and I'm tired right now. Come on let's go to the palace I'll show you to your rooms" he answered and started to walk towards the palace.

The walk there was quiet, no one talked. Once they were in the palace Aang showed them to their rooms. He entered his room and was about to close the door when he saw Suki standing there. "Aang, can I talk to you?" Suki said a little nervous. He could feel that her heartbeat rate was very high. "Sure Suki, what is it?" He asked and let her in his room and closed the door. "It's just that... I'm worried about you, like very much" Suki said with a low voice. "You are?" Aang asked confused. Like, Suki was his friend, but they never had had heart-to-heart conversations, and they weren't that close. "Yes Aang, of course I am. I can't imagine what you're going through right now. You just got back from that Arashi, whatever that would be. You said that it was a traumatic experience, and at the moment that you returned, you find out about Katara, then you lost a friend, and then the things that Sokka told you...it must be hard on you" she said.