Avatar Fan Fiction

Kraven Ergeist

A/N: This takes place immediately after episode twenty. Not sure if this will be one shot or not.

xxxxx

She was, by all counts, his superior in Water Bending. But that wasn't going to stop him from trying to best her. And certainly, it was no reason to give up his favorite sparring partner.

Aang leapt as the ice beneath him gave way into a plume of water. He soared through the air as the water chased him. He reached out to where the ice was untouched and the ice extended into a thin icicle, which he caught in his hand. It pulled him out of harms way, and he swung in a circle, using his centrifugal force to swing himself towards Katara, his free hand to scooping up a ball of ice and hurling it at her.

She caught the ice easily, twirling it into plumes of water, which she hurled at the monk.

Aang caught he water, rematerialized it into ice and threw it back at her. Katara, however, had already prepared another ball of ice, and had hurled it at him. The two snowballs impacted in midair, and the two forces battled, one finally giving way.

Into Aang.

"AAAH!"

Katara giggled as Aang was suddenly covered into a huge pile of snow. "You have to maintain control over the ice, Aang."

The pile of snow didn't respond.

"Aang?"

Suddenly, Aang burst from the ice behind Katara's feet, wrapping his arms around her.

"I got you!" Aang cried.

Katara stared back at him, grinning. "No…I got you."

Aang suddenly saw the shattered ice he had just burst through had condensed, trapping his legs into place.

"Hey, lemme go!" Aang gripped, tugging at his legs.

"Well, then you let me go!" Katara smiled back.

"You're gonna have to make me!" Aang taunted.

"That shouldn't be too hard," Katara giggled, before reaching back and tickling his sides.

"Yaaaah!" Aang blurted releasing the girl. "Hey, no fair!"

Katara stepped away, brushing herself off. "All's fair in love and war, Aang."

Aang pouted. "But this is just practice!"

"Exactly," Katara smiled. "If it were the real thing, I wouldn't have gone so easy on you."

"Oh, that's it!" Aang shouted. "When I get out of this…"

Katara waved her hand, turning to go. "You won't be getting out of those bindings too soon, Aang. I'm concentrating all my effort into those tiny pieces of ice. You'll have to do something pretty spectacular if you want to break out of there."

"You mean like this?" Aang smirked, hovering over her on a ball of swirling air.

Katara gaped. "What the…hey, no Air Bending! This is strictly training for Water Bending!"

Aang laughed. "Maybe you should learn it. Besides, you said it yourself: all's fair in love and war."

Katara turned her nose up. "Alright, fine. That's enough training for today."

Aang pouted, landing on his feet. "Aw, man!"

Katara held up her finger. "None of that! Now bow to your sensei – remember, you're going to be learning from me from now on."

Aang rolled his eyes, bowing. "Thank you, Master Katara, ma'am!"

Katara gritted her teeth. "You watch it, or I'll sick Appa on you."

Aang gawked. "Appa would never betray me!"

Katara grinned. "He would for me, since I know that one place on his belly that he just loves to be scratched."

Aang sighed. "Alright, alright, you win."

Katara waved her finger. "And don't you forget it."

"Hey, where're you going?" Aang called as he watched Katara leave.

"Sokka's still pretty shaken up over what happened," Katara sighed. "I'm going to go try to cheer him up."

Aang nodded. "Alright. Take care of him, Katara."

They waved and parted ways, leaving Aang to wander by himself.

It was just too frustrating, now that Katara was nearly at a master level. All that ability was making her ego swell over itself. That, of course, made it all the more frustrating for Aang. They were still friends, but sometimes, she could just get under his skin enough to make his blood boil.

And in a good way – which was part of the problem. Aang blushed, remembering that brief moment when he held her. She had been soft and warm, and the way her body felt against his was enough to make his heart race. If his hands had slid just a bit higher…

Aang slapped his cheeks and sighed. He needed to keep his mind off of her and on his training. The only problem was, at the moment, the two were intertwined.

Aang sat up on a bridge and looked out at the ocean. The master and his disciples had already left for the south village. All he could do was remain here, training and pining for a girl who only saw him as a friend.

Momo showed up and Aang patted his head. He supposed it was better that she was at least a friend. She was wonderful company, even if they weren't romantic, and she had saved his life multiple times in their journey. He couldn't imagine life without her.

But still…

He patted Momo's head as the lemur nuzzled up against Aang's tunic for warmth.

But still, he couldn't help but feel this innate desire for her. Like she was the most precious thing on earth. He feared that if she knew his feelings, she would reject them. She would hide behind every thinkable excuse: that training to become the Avatar was more important, that as a monk, he was bound to celibacy, that her own journey to become a master Water Bender was her only desire…

No matter the excuse, Aang's feelings would never change. He knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. If a hundred years imprisoned had earned him nothing else, they had given him the ability to tell him what his heart truly felt. He valued her life over his own. He wanted to be with her, to live out his days with her, to spend the rest of his life in endless pursuit, if only to see her smiling face at the end.

Lying on his back, Aang felt the warm tug of slumber, and drifted off.

xxxxx

A/N: Well, that's a decent start. The only problem is I have no idea where to take this. The romance factor will only travel so far. Avatar is such a worldly story, that it requires more than just one genre to do true justice to. I'll do my best, though.