A Moment, Please.

Chapter 25

"Hey- Amaya?"

I didn’t turn my head from the horizon. While my anger for the way Aang had treated me the night before had melted away with sleep; I wasn’t ready to forgive him just yet. Seegin my fallen eyebrows and the frown, I saw from the corner of my eye his ‘worried look’ on his face.

"Yeah?"

 
I waited on the beach, scanning my eyes over the horizon once more. At any moment our troops would be floating up. I had been scouting the coast all morning, anticipation nearly killing me.

"I'm sorry about last night. I was tired, and the pressure just all got to me." 

I finally moved my gaze from the horizon and looked him. What I saw was 12 year old boy, who was facing a war. Not just facing a war, but expected to end a war. He had been going through a lot lately and I realized that.

Turning to face him, I wrapped him in a hug. My little ‘not ready to forgive’ streak melted away almost at once.

"It's okay…I understand…but you need to realize that we’re all under a lot of stress…but we're also family…. And that's what families do, fight, and then they make up. So, I forgive you."

I think that’s how families work, I've never really had one so I can’t really know. But I won't tell him that! 

"Guys look!"

I looked to Kat as she over towards us. Releasing Aang from the hug, I followed Katara's pointed finger with my eyes, looking out to the sea where there was a strange mist floating on the horizon. With a gasp, my eyes grew wide. I knew what lied within that mist.

"They're here!"

Smiling, I jumped around as I rushed around hugging everyone. I even gave Sokka one, hey, I was in a hugging mood. 

~~~

Toph, Aang, and I worked to make an earth dock, timing it perfectly with boat as it pulled up. Hakoda was the first person we all saw, as he deboarded the ship. He greeted everyone with a nice friendly hug. Katara and Sokka were the happiest, of course, he was their father. The next three were Bato, Huu and Due. With a small squeal of their names, I rushed over to them, and hugged them.

"Huu! Due!"

They crushed me back in return, my arms burning when the released me.

"Well you sure do look fine now, much better than the last time we saw you!"

I smiled, and nodded as I brushed a hair from my face.

"Yes Huu, I've come to love Mother Nature in all ways possible. I’ve accepted her."

Thank goodness!

He returned my smile, and I couldn't help but laugh in joy.

"Good there then!" 

"Amaya?"

As Huu and Due walked off talking about a rock looking like a Fire nation something another, I turned to look back at the dock. My jaw dropped, and my eyes got wide. I knew I had known that voice, but I did not know the face.

"Haru?"

We stood frozen, looking at each other. Both of us were shocked by the other.

"AMAYA!"

 
"HARU!"

He rushed up to me, and grabbed me. Crushing me to his chest, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he spun me. I crushed myself, as if our bodies could get any closer.