He could feel every part of her. Her heart beating through the earth, the inhale and exhale of her breath into the air, the heat of her body like fire, the watery flow blood pumping through her veins. Every part of her was so alive, brimmed the entirety of his senses. She had been the focus of his youth, the epitome of beauty in his eyes, and now she looked at him with a coursed brow, brimming eyes, the slightest frown. He reached out, she pulled away, and he already knew it. He knew what she would say; he glimpsed the future that life had in store for him. A shattering prick of loneliness flowed through him and consumed.

“I’m sixteen now, Aang.”

The Avatar’s lips thinned, “I know, Katara. But—“

She was beautiful. Against the moonlight that dark complexion of hers seemed to shimmer. A ray of light kept catching her blue eyes whenever she titled her head even the slightest bit to the left. But the look on her face was devastating. He felt her heartbeat speed and knew it wasn’t out of excitement, out of love, but rather it was born of some dark, foreboding thing. What said seemed to form into comprehendible words at a snailturtle’s pace. It hovered on her red lips for seemingly years before finally spilling into the world. Through the slow process Aang stared fully at her pursing lips. It was a hard, hollow kiss of words that blurred the stars.

“In my tribe… in my culture that makes me of a marrying age.”

Silence. Until Aang finally spoke, “What are you trying to say?”

At first she said nothing. The gleaming light of Yue caught those eyes again—they were a blue that not even the deepest ocean could match. Aang craved to reach out to her in that moment, to share one of their impulsive short kisses or simply be reassured by having her the tiniest bit closer, however he knew she would only pull away from him. Again. Like she had been doing since her birthday. Like she did that night of the play. He could do nothing but loom in front of her, lean towards her, and crave.

“I used to… it was just easier to not think about when we were both younger. But I’m supposed to be developing into an adult now, Aang. I’m supposed to be maturing and taking on so many responsibilities. My tribe needs me home to train the new waterbenders, they need me to help instill the traditions there. I just need something more stable than the life I’ve been living. You need to be out in the world to help heal what the war left behind. You are so young, Aang. I feel like I’m getting so old. Please, please know that I still love you. Things are just… complicated. They will be for awhile. We both knew this would come, Aang, we both knew.”

He had nothing to say. She turned away and walked back to Appa, back to the dwindling group that once helped him conquer a Fire Lord, and he knew there was nothing more he could do. Her footsteps grew lighter, her breathing turned into quick sobs, her blood quickened, and her heart still thrummed quickly, but it all seemed so distant now. Aang felt alone, not for the first time, not for the last. Certainly not the last now that she had walked away. A brief spasm of laughter quickly ended once the waterbender made it back to the campsite. Aang watched stoically as Sokka jumped to his feet to run to his crying sister. Everyone else seemed to simply muster in silence.

It was selfish of him to think they’d stay forever by his side, that she would always be there for him. Two years and the wounds left behind from were hardly healed over. Zuko had departed from their gang soon after joining to reclaim the throne, Toph had returned home to reconcile with her parents only a year after peace-keeping. Sokka and Suki were to depart soon themselves. And now Katara would too. The burns left behind by the Ozai still seethed and now it seemed he would have to repair them alone. There was nothing that could keep them with him anymore.

“I love you Katara,” his words intertwined with the wind and blew away into nothing. Aang turned away from the light of the campfire, from the accusing look Sokka was flashing into the darkness and the crying sister he cradled in his arms. Aang simply turned away and walked into the darkness.